Sym-Bionic Titan: Moments of Solomon
by Starling 12
Summary: Solomon is a mysterious character who rarely makes an appearance in the Sym-Bionic Titan series. This is what I think he was doing off-screen, for nearly every episode. Whether spying, fighting, or interacting with his hidden superior, he will do whatever it takes to defend the earth.
1. Episodes 1 & 2

**Author's Notes: Ah, Sym-Bionic Titan, it left us too soon. Though it was released in 2010, it is still my personal favorite television series. It just gets to me more than any other. Even though it came out so long ago and the fandom is mostly dead, I've put this up.**

 **The good part about this fanfiction is that you can skip ahead, because you already know what's going to happen! If you want to see what Solomon was doing in a particular episode, feel free to ignore my other chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Sym-Bionic Titan. Cover image is not mine.**

Sym-Bionic Titan: Moments of Solomon

Episode 1: Escape to Sherman High

Solomon's men arrived on the site later than he would have liked. The location where the encounter had happened had been seized by General Steel, and now it was difficult to trespass there legally. The Galactic Guardian Group had jurisdiction to all alien involvement and extraterrestrial activity, but this was the first time they did something truly important. The first confirmed alien contact—and Steel was doing everything he could to keep them away.

G3 was good at using the law to its advantage, however. In less than an hour, they had a warrant to the quarantined area and everything there belonged to them. Solomon had a few of his men scan the perimeter, while he flew in on one of the hovercraft-jets. He wanted to exchange a few words with Steel and be sure he understood the General's stance on this matter. Steel was supposed to give G3 whatever it wanted…but Steel had never taken G3 seriously. Steel was likely to try and take matters into his own hands, and that would be problematic. If he would attempt to do so, Solomon wanted to know it now.

The hovercraft lurched in the air, coming to a stop above the site. Solomon jumped out from the craft and landed behind Steel. Before them was the ship; the alien ship that had appeared out of nowhere above earth and crashed here. Solomon had many questions—how had it gotten here undetected? How fast could it travel? Was it meant for long-term habitation? What was it made out of? Had it crashed here accidentally, or meant to come? And where was it _from?_

Solomon watched it, keeping his expression eternally indifferent as his hovercraft positioned itself above the blue rocket.

He drew his mind away from it, for now. He had detoured here to speak to Steel. "What are you doing here, General?"

The General knew, or should know, that the military was supposed to stay away from alien activity and leave it to G3. Steel was breaking contract and law.

"Solomon," Steel's voice was hateful as he said the name. Solomon was used to it. The General had never liked him; Steel enjoyed power. And he did not like anyone who ordered him around and was superior to him, as Solomon was.

Steel continued. "First confirmed extraterrestrial contact, and you miss it!"

Solomon did not bother with the man's insults, and ignored the implication that G3 was incapable. G3 had gotten here as quickly as it could. The ship had appeared out of nowhere, right in earth's atmosphere. Steel had been lucky enough to be underneath, and had knowingly locked down the area in an attempt to keep G3 out.

Solomon would not lower himself to make such accusations, though. It had merely delayed him a few minutes, and he would waste no more time. "Pull your men back, General."

The G3 agents who had come from the edge of the locked zone closed in towards the ship. They moved in perfect formation and were completely indistinguishable from one another. One of them knelt a few feet from Solomon and Steel, holding a scanner over his shoulder. It lit up as it took its scans, and then the agent moved elsewhere to get a different angle.

" _'Galactic Guardian Group,'_ " Steel's tone was mocking. "You guys are a joke."

Steel knew nothing of G3's advanced technology, weaponry, training, and everything else that had been done for this moment. G3 was a powerful force, but not to be used against other humans. No; _for_ humans. There was life out there, and it had revealed itself today. Now it was time to see if that other life was a threat or an ally.

The hovercraft locked on to the rocket and began to lift it up into its belly. It was time to go; G3 hardly left a footprint behind wherever it went. They would leave quickly and without a trace.

Solomon leapt onto the alien craft, already several feet into the air. He held onto one of the ropes that carried it, being lifted along with the alien ship into his own hovercraft.

He watched Steel glare after him. "They're still out there, you know!"

Oh, he knew. But Steel would know nothing more about it. "That's no longer your concern."

And with that, the alien ship was tucked safely into the hovercraft. In moments, any sign that G3 or aliens had ever been in that forest would be completely gone.

Solomon stepped off the blue rocket, absentmindedly tracing its blue surface with his gloved hand as he looked out the one-way window of his hovercraft. The searchlight of the G3 ship was trained on Steel. The general was still glaring upwards after them. Solomon hoped the General wouldn't be a problem, but even if he would be, Solomon had no time to deal with him now.

He turned back to alien ship, feeling the smooth, flawless surface through the fabric of his glove. His agents were moving in to inspect it themselves. There was so much to learn.

Aliens were finally here.

OOO

Solomon had not slept. He hadn't so much as sat down since the aliens had arrived on earth. He stood rigid, unmoving, watching as his scientists examined the alien ship. Every new bit of information was insistently reported to him. He knew how long the ship was, its dimensions, its weight, that it was made of unknown material; he even knew its aerodynamics. It had been almost ten hours but he did not show a hint of exhaustion. In truth, he felt none.

He wanted his superior to take a look at the ship—he was sure the man could find things out no one else could—but his superior insisted on waiting.

Most of G3 didn't even know there was someone above Solomon, someone even further up the chain of command. And Solomon's superior liked to keep it that way; so he would wait until the regular G3 scientists were done before he would look at the ship himself. It irked Solomon, but he knew better than to question it.

An agent came up to Solomon and stood at attention. "Sir, an unidentified object has just entered the earth's atmosphere."

Solomon turned; more alien activity. Steel wouldn't hold them back this time. If there were dangerous aliens in this incoming ship too, G3 would be prepared for a confrontation. They wouldn't let these aliens escape like the military had with the first ones.

"Assemble Team Delta."

OOO

The _Motherbird_ was Solomon's personal ship, the G3 flagship, and held the most powerful weapon G3 had. One could argue it was the most powerful ship yet to be created on earth, not including G3 HQ, which was in a rank of its own.

The robots at the crash site last night had easily taken on the best of America's military, so Solomon was coming with a trick up his sleeve. Bringing in the entire G3 army would not do; that would be too obvious to the public, and it was too soon. These aliens might still prove allies. Yet from what G3 could tell from the crashed ship, the aliens had far more advanced technology and weaponry. It would be foolish to come to see them unarmed.

The _Motherbird_ was traveling at top speeds but would take some time to get there. Solomon examined the situation of the latest alien crash through reports. The new object that had fallen to earth at first appeared to be a meteor, violently landing and setting fire to a forest outside of Sherman. Many news channels were documenting the fire, trying to find out what had happened and pestering firemen who were trying to do their job. But then the flames roared upwards, and the cameraman followed them. Solomon's eyes widened, glued to the screen.

"What is _that?!"_ The reporter yelled, as two red eyes and a gaping mouth appeared out of the fire. Smoke and sulfur came off it like a volcano as the flames, reaching thousands of feet into the air, began to take form. A bulky, burning figure lifted itself out of the forest fire and began moving—towards the city of Sherman.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" the reporter yelped as the angle changed to a helicopter camera. The beast, step by step, heavily treaded forward. It seemed to be made purely of fire. How was that possible? Was it a living chemical reaction, a gas, was it truly alive if it was only flames?

Solomon's jaw tightened as he watched. The creature was leaving fiery destruction in its wake and heading straight for a very populated city. It was Solomon's duty to protect humanity, and this creature was now threatening lives.

"Start charging the Wave-Motion Canon," Solomon said. His agents swiftly moved through the computers, beginning to activate the strongest weapon G3 had.

The _Motherbird_ was still quite a distance from Sherman. Solomon watched the fire monster from his screens the whole way. It reached the city, and Steel's men engaged. Solomon was irritated by that, but he supposed someone had to do _something,_ even if their attacks were completely ineffective. The missiles did nothing to the fire monster, and it swung its arms and slapped away fighter jets like flies. It stomped on the tanks, and more attacks from other military divisions simply drew its attention. People were losing their lives to this creature; Solomon could not hesitate. The Wave-Motion Cannon was to be used as soon as they arrived.

As the military units were destroyed, a new force came into the fray. Solomon's eyes locked onto it; a small golden robot, barely bigger than a human, flew at the monster and released a laser beam to strike it. But this too proved useless against the beast.

Solomon watched the golden robot—it matched the descriptions of last night's encounter. Its form was feminine, with a jagged heart on its chest and a design that was vaguely Egyptian. The robot sped circles around the fire monster, refusing to give up her attack. The fire monster focused on her, and tried to stomp her with its burning leg. She avoided, but the monster tore apart a nearby building and threw the remains on top of her.

The camera blurred as it moved to focus on her; she had fallen beneath the wreckage and was trapped. The monster reached for her with a flaming hand—

A new robot appeared with a sword and swatted the hand back. It moved quickly, but Solomon caught a good glimpse of it; bigger, masculine in form, deep purple, and appeared to have far more weapons than the golden one. Bombs or missiles or other alien technology could be seen stored within its legs.

Solomon watched, rapt, as the purple robot tried to take on the fire monster and, like the other, was slapped aside. Before the fire monster could move in on it, more of Steel's missiles fired at the monster. The creature roared in fury.

Solomon wanted to know what was happening to the robots—was the gold one still trapped? Was the purple one unharmed? Why were they fighting exactly? Were they also a threat to humanity?

But the camera did not turn to look at them, and Solomon cursed it. The fire monster turned around and opened its red mouth, breathing flame across the city streets. Smoke went everywhere, and for a moment the screens showed nothing but grey.

Solomon waited. He waited for what seemed like a long time, but couldn't have been more than a minute. Finally, the smoke began to clear.

And what he saw stunned him.

A new, colossal robot had entered the field, from where, Solomon didn't have a clue. He hadn't seen it arrive; it was as if it had appeared from the smoke. The smaller robots forgotten, he stared at this new phenomenon. The camera picked up the gasps of awe from bystanders as the new robot stood like a knight in the city, smoke from the fire trailing off its body.

It was just as big as the fire monster. It seemed to be encased in glass, but a purple-and-gold mechanical skeleton was visible through its transparent armor. It was smooth and majestic, radiating power with its firm stance as it faced the fire monster. Its eyes, peering out from within its helmet, glowed golden, and showed no emotion.

The fire monster only paused a moment, watching this new enemy, before it attacked. It struck the new robot, crashing it to the ground. As the fire monster advanced, the new robot wrenched itself up and lunged forward. It blocked the monster's hit with one arm and punched it back with the other.

The beast charged again at the robot, and the robot lifted its arms to guard itself. A shield appeared in its palms to block the attack. The fire monster struck again and again, but the robot continued to block. After the third strike, the robot shoved forward, pushing the monster back.

The fire monster growled in anger and then roared to the skies, turning yellow like the sun and releasing fire everywhere. Fire spread out in a massive explosion. The camera zoomed out and shook as the impact hit, and Solomon saw that all around the monster, the city had been wiped away. Skyscrapers, roads, people…all gone. A mere ditch was left, where the fire monster and the robot still stood.

Solomon showed no emotion, but his heart beat against his chest. So many lives lost in such short time. The Motherbird was nearing Sherman now…

The fire monster hissed and leapt at the robot, engulfing it in flame. The robot looked like it was on fire as it struggled against the hold. But then, it turned and leapt into the water outside Sherman. Both the creature and the robot disappeared from view, hidden under the waves. Solomon had to admit that was smart—but would it be enough? What effect would this have on the monster? Would it go out like normal fire?

The city was close; close enough Solomon could see it on the horizon outside the _Motherbird's_ window. Solomon flicked off the view screens—the city was getting nearer by the second.

"Wave-Motion Cannon at eighty percent, sir," informed one of his agents.

Excellent. "Prepare to fire." Perhaps the fire monster was defeated, but Solomon couldn't risk it. The robot could also be a threat, and Solomon had to be ready.

The robot emerged from the water. It was alone for a moment, and looked side to side to be sure the monster had been defeated. Solomon waited; the robot wasn't attacking the city. Perhaps it wasn't a threat after all. If the monster had been defeated and humans were no longer in danger, then there was no need for the Wave-Motion Cannon. Solomon was about to order it be held off when a rocky creature splashed out from behind the robot, grabbing it in a tight hold.

It was the fire monster—the outer part of its body had hardened into stone. Bits of magma and fire trailed through its body, yet it was still alive. The robot struggled against it but the monster held firm.

"Wave-Motion Cannon charged, sir!"

This was the perfect opportunity—while holding the robot, the monster was stuck in the same spot. It couldn't move to dodge an attack, and the _Motherbird_ was in perfect position. It was a straight shot. The robot might be harmed, too, but Solomon had to make the sacrifice. The monster was certainly a threat to earth, and the robot might be too.

Solomon leaned out of his seat; now was the moment, they could not be a second late! _"Fire!"_

The Wave-Motion Cannon, a huge blue jet of light, blasted out of the _Motherbird_ and went straight for the two giants. But the angle—the robot was shielded from the beam by the monster's body, who took the brunt of the attack. As the monster stumbled back, the robot escaped its grip and whirled on it. It reached out with its arm and, out of nowhere, a sword appeared in its hand. The robot swung the blade in an arc, right through the magma monster. The rocks of its skin crumbled and plunged into the ocean. The robot swung the blade overhead, slicing the beast's arms off, and finally cut the creature in half. The monster was vanquished.

Solomon watched, frozen, as the titan stood victorious. The sword disappeared from its hand, vanishing into nothing.

The robot no longer wanted the sword…it wasn't going to attack now that the monster had been defeated. In which case, it was not a threat to Sherman or any other humans.

Very well. Solomon would wait and see. If the robot had defeated a threat to the earth, and did not wish to harm humans, Solomon had no qualms…for now.

"Return to base."

And the _Motherbird_ dove into the water.

Episode Two: Neighbors in Disguise

Solomon oversaw the retrieval of what was left of the fire monster. G3 submarines searched below the shore of Sherman for every rock it could find of the creature. G3 now owned all of it. And they had much work to do.

He soaked up all information his scientists discovered. One fact of which was quite important; even now, the creature was still alive. While the outer rocky skin of each piece was dead, and the smaller pieces were lifeless all the way through, the larger pieces were still active in the center. Dormant, the scientists described. And weak; it was like a plant, or heartbeat, or gentle flame. Still alive, but slowly fading. Like the last struggles of a body that didn't realize it was dead yet.

Good. Solomon wanted the creature fully dead. But while it still lived, they might as well learn what they could from it. At this rate, the scientists estimated that every last bit, even the largest chunks of rock, would be lifeless in a few weeks.

A single week after the battle, G3 stopped its activity of searching for the rocks. Solomon knew there had to be some pieces of the creature still down there, but the monster had been the size of a skyscraper. There was no way to get every last bit, and he didn't want to risk G3 being noticed while it searched. The remains would all just be dead rock in a few weeks anyway.

The life that remained in some of the rocks was powerful and harmful. The scientists warned Solomon that this energy should not be tampered with and released or awoken. It was some kind of chemical that expanded, they said, and would consume all in its path if freed.

How incredibly fascinating. A _living_ chemical. He had many questions, but he couldn't ask the rocks. If only Solomon could get his hands on those two robots, or better yet, Titan.

Speaking of which, the people of earth had fallen in love with the robotic hero. The knight-like giant had made quite the impression. People had named it 'Titan' and the name was sticking. Even G3 agents were calling it that. Citizens praised Titan as epic, heroic, the defender of earth.

Solomon wasn't so easily convinced. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" did not always apply. Titan had made no contact with humans and had shown no _solid_ proof that it meant no harm to mankind. People were wrapped up in awe about the giant robot, completely ignoring G3's Cannon blast. Which Solomon was grateful for; G3 remained in the shadows, as it should.

Some things needed to be decided. G3 held responsibility for the earth and for these aliens. The two small robots had attacked the military, although reports varied of who shot first. Were they allies or foes?

And Titan—if it _was_ a threat, could G3 defeat it? Solomon already had strategists and scientists looking into weaknesses of the robot, but the design and making of weapons powerful enough to use against Titan would take time to create. Did earth have that luxury?

He needed to speak to his superior. Despite being the founder of G3 and creator of most of its technology, Solomon's superior did very little nowadays. It was partly because of his injuries. Solomon had never asked how his superior had first been injured, but the wounds had grown steadily worse over time. Once, his superior had been able to walk around on his cybernetic limbs like any other person. Now he was much slower, and it took much more energy for him to do any physical activity. The man's lungs had been damaged and weakened over time. Because of this, Solomon's superior rarely spoke and his sentences were always short and to the point. Oftentimes he simply didn't respond; Solomon had grown used to this.

Solomon's superior spent almost all of his time in a dark room, watching G3 and the outside world through informative screens. He would stay in this room for weeks at a time, meals delivered to him like clockwork but no one ever saw him.

No one except Solomon, but even his glimpses were limited. As the room was always dark, often his superior was hidden by shadows. And Solomon tended to avoid looking at what he _could_ see. Though Solomon never admitted it aloud, he knew his superior was fading. Whether it be because of age (no one knew how old the man was) or his mysterious injuries, the true leader of G3 was living on borrowed time. And Solomon wasn't sure what G3 would be like without him.

Solomon climbed down the hidden ladder and entered the darkness of his superior's chambers. He kept his hands in his pockets, making himself as small as possible, keeping his head low and eyes looking downwards. His footsteps were quiet, and he stopped when he reached the chair that his superior always sat in. Darkness hid the man well, but one of his metal arms caught and reflected what little light was in the room.

"Sir," Solomon began, always considering his words very carefully when in this presence, "The information we've learned about the remains of the fire monster has been delivered to your computer."

Solomon paused, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement. He wanted to hear his superior's thoughts on the monster. All he heard was the faint sound of breathing. So he continued. "I believe you should take a look at it."

The raspy voice seemed to crawl its way to Solomon's ears. "I will look at it when I want to." That was a firm reminder that Solomon's couldn't force his superior into doing anything he didn't want to do. Despite being loyal to his superior, Solomon still liked to know what he was up to and where he was.

Solomon knew his superior left this room without telling him. It irritated him, not knowing where such an important person was all the time. He had once placed a trigger on his superior's door that should have alerted him to whenever it was opened. His superior never mentioned it, but the trigger mysteriously deactivated before it had worked even once. The cameras he had placed outside his superior's door had similar results. Almost every inch of G3 HQ was monitored, watched, and recorded. The only internal blind spot was this room and the hallways around it. Solomon didn't know how, but his superior was never caught on the cameras. When he left this room, it was like he turned invisible.

Solomon considered pushing his superior to take a look at the alien rocks immediately, but decided it was pointless. There was another subject to discus, one that wasn't on the report to his superior. "The main populace of earth has grown fond of the giant robot that fought the fire monster. They call it 'Titan.'"

Pause. Faint, struggled breaths. Then; "I see."

Solomon pressed forward, trying to get his point across. " _Titan_ defeated the fire monster and saved the city, Sherman. It disappeared after the battle and there has been no sign of it or any other alien activity since. We must consider whether or not it is a threat to the earth."

There was an even longer pause. Solomon stayed patient and waited for his superior to speak. "If this… _Titan,_ appears again…leave it be."

Solomon lifted his head slightly, looking to the patch of darkness where his superior was. "Sir?"

"Leave it be. Watch it, for now."

This was an order, Solomon recognized. He always obeyed his superior's commands. Solomon had many questions, many objections. But he knew when he was being dismissed.

"Yes, sir."

OOO

Solomon was examining Sherman's recovery. There was still a gaping hole in the center of the city, but reconstruction was beginning. Roads were being built across the damage, a few of which were even available for public use. Currently, it was believed rebuilding would cost fourteen billion dollars.

Steel practically had the city on lockdown. Tanks and troops buzzed around Sherman like camouflage green-and-brown flies. If any robot surfaced, the military would pounce on it. Any information about the Titan or other aliens was to be reported to authorities, which would be immediately passed up to G3. Solomon doubted he would receive any useful information from those citizen reports, but it was good to be alert.

He browsed through building plans when an agent approached him. "Sir; our satellites have just detected a new object falling to earth."

Solomon turned, mind instantly more aware. "Where will it land?"

"Egypt, sir."

Solomon felt a slight confliction. His instincts told him this was another monster, like the fire one. There was no guarantee that Titan would make an appearance to fight in, in which case G3 had to do all it could to protect earth. If Titan _did_ show up, however, Solomon's superior had ordered him to leave it alone.

Better safe than dead, Solomon believed. He had to prepare for the worst, for if he underestimated this situation, there could be disastrous consequences. "Assemble Team Delta; now."

OOO

Speeding into action again on the _Motherbird,_ Solomon yet again examined the situation on the way. His assumptions had been correct; it _was_ a monster like the fire beast. This time, the creature was mechanical, with five dog-like heads but two legs, and it was slightly smaller than the fire monster. It was a robot, which meant it had been built by someone. Why would a robot be sent to attack earth? Its design style was different from Titan's; perhaps made by different aliens?

They were halfway to Egypt when the dog-monster left the city it had been jeopardizing. Blasting off on rocket feet, it reentered earth's atmosphere. And it began heading in the direction of Sherman City.

Solomon was frustratingly sent in circles, having to turn the _Motherbird_ around to pursue the creature that passed them, far above their heads, and left them in its figurative dust.

Why was it attracted to Sherman? Why were all the aliens so interested in that city?

Very tense about the unexpected way this situation had developed, Solomon pulled up Sherman's local news. He had expected alerts of evacuation, but was caught off guard when he saw the first two robots had appeared at the local mall.

He was astonished. A _mall?_ A place that public and populated? Why on earth would they be there?

The reporters told him next to nothing. They couldn't get into the mall due to citizens fleeing from it, and then the army arrived and cut off the area. Solomon gritted his teeth, furious at how in the dark he was.

He still had work to do, even if he knew nothing. The people of Sherman were too focused on the robots to realize a bigger problem was coming for them. With a swipe of his hand Solomon sent an order for the city to begin evacuating. He hoped this new alien monster wouldn't cause as much damage as the last one.

Once that was done, he returned to Sherman's news. He was eager when he found they had _some_ information; the two robots had broken down a wall and were now outside, according to second-hand military reports.

"Sir," one of his agents spoke up, voice soft. "…the creature has just reached Sherman City."

Solomon tensed but did not take his eyes away from the news channel on his screen. A mechanical scream came through its speakers, and the reporter turned in confusion.

The camera turned to the sound, right as the two robots, gold and purple, flew around the corner. The five-headed monster was chasing after them.

The reporter cried out in alarm. The beast snapped at the robots, so small when compared to it. The two of them turned and tried to attack, using laser beams and what might be bullets to shoot at one of the monster's heads. But the beast didn't even seem to notice.

The robots, their attack ineffective, gained altitude and flew out of sight. The beast roared again and charged off, stomping through the city.

Solomon's grip tightened on his chair. Would Titan show up? Would they reach Sherman in time?

The camera switched to a helicopter angle and pursued the beast. It was leaving the city on foot now, and charging through suburbs. Its steps were full of purpose; it was heading for something, but what? Where had the two small robots gone?

Then, directly on screen, only a short distance before the monster, there was a bright flash of light. Solomon watched, stunned, as Titan had appeared out of nowhere.

Where had it _come from?_ How did that thing just _appear?_ Could it simply pop into existence wherever it wanted? How did something so unbelievably huge travel so discreetly?

The dog-monster opened one of its mouths and shot a laser. Titan clapped its hands together and an orbital shield surrounded it. The monster's attack deflected off the shield and harmlessly onto a road.

The monster neared and Titan tried to punch its heads, but the creature was quick as a snake. One head lunged and bit Titan's arm. Titan got free and hit back, only to be grabbed again, by both arms this time. Titan struggled before kicking the monster in the stomach. The creature roared and threw Titan into the air.

Solomon couldn't breathe as he watched the huge robot swing over the city. That huge, huge body would crush houses, roads, and _people._ So many bystanders would be killed.

Titan swung out a hand to the road, nearly crushing a woman and child beneath its very palm but carefully avoiding doing so. Its foot hit a road and it tried to find its balance and not fall over onto all the people below it. Its other hand crushed a tree and its knee also thumped into a road. The land was decimated—but no one was harmed.

Solomon let out a breath of relief, followed by a joyous inhale of revelation. Titan didn't want to hurt anyone—it had just obviously gone to great effort not to crush anyone. Titan _was_ an ally.

But the monster wasn't. It stamped towards Titan, crushing homes underneath its feet. Solomon gnawed the inside of his cheek, wishing the monsters could fight elsewhere.

As if hearing his silent plea (or perhaps Titan too saw the crushed homes), Titan rushed forward and tackled the monster. With a mighty jump, Titan carried the creature over the suburbs and into a nearby park, away from everyone. More signs that Titan wished to avoid harming humans.

The helicopter moved to pursue them and keep them in sight but the two giants were far away. Solomon leaned forward, trying to make out the image. It was difficult; Titan's landing had stirred up dirt that was in the way of the camera's view. He couldn't see what was happening—until it was too late.

The dog-monster seemed to bulge. It shook and then exploded, heads and other body parts sprinkled through the park. Titan was nowhere to be seen.

Solomon slowly leaned back into his seat and steepled his fingers. The threat had passed. Titan had rescued humanity yet again. Now, there was something for Solomon to look into…

OOO

Late at night at Sherman Mall, a pudgy security guard was using the surveillance camera recordings as entertainment. He didn't hear the door open, for the person who entered made no sound. The guard simply continued to watch the black-haired boy on his video screen jump into the air and turn into an incredible giant purple robot.

He pressed rewind again and again, watching the flash of light and appearance of the robot. He didn't notice the other person in the room until a hand was placed on his shoulder.

Solomon did not take his gaze from the screen for one second as he gripped the guard's shoulder. Again and again, what appeared to be a human turned into one of the alien robots.

"I'm going to need all of these tapes."

OOO

Solomon was very tense as he watched his superior view the footage he had taken from Sherman's Mall. He himself had viewed it more times than he could count, awed, excited, and fully ready for action. They had a lead—a _real_ lead. This wasn't just the remains of an alien. These were two _living_ aliens. Aliens to study, to question, to use. He had already had his informants look up everything they could of these two human-looking people.

Lance and Ilana Lunis. Recently enrolled in Sherman High, the public high school. They had just bought a house but information about that was limited as they had apparently paid for it entirely in cash. _Any_ information on them was minimal. There were birth certificates, both of which recorded that they had been born in Sherman but didn't have any information as to where the Lunises had lived until they had moved into their new home.

If someone glanced at their background information, it would seem normal. But when one dug deep enough, it appeared anything but. It was amazing the aliens had conjured up government history records without notice—their technology must be good to hack in so well. Solomon was eager to get his hands on it and study it.

Finally, things were beginning to get back in his control. Extraterrestrials would no longer come and go as they please, without warning. He would find out all he could once he captured these two aliens. They had to know why the monsters were coming, and had to know about Titan, too. This information would belong to G3, soon.

Solomon had run into some trouble keeping these recordings to himself. Steel had been about to storm into the mall himself. But G3 had jurisdiction, and all the security tapes were now in their hands, not a trace of the aliens left behind, as if they had never been there. The damage to the mall would be repaired in time.

Steel had been furious. But Solomon knew that if the general had gotten these tapes, he would have sent an army after the Lunis aliens. That would have never worked; the aliens had already shown that bullets and missiles had no effect on their metal skins, apparently their armor. They would have escaped easily.

Catching them would require a more careful hand. Solomon would subdue them before they could transform. It would be best to sneak into their home at night, once they were asleep…

Perhaps his superior would have ideas. But the man was still watching the tapes. Solomon waited. And then his superior watched them again. And again. Solomon had also watched them over and over and still wanted more, but he was itching to get out and see it all for himself, in person.

His superior paused the tapes right before the boy, Lance, transformed. Solomon didn't fully understand why—at this point, the alien looked like a normal human. He preferred to examine the robotic form.

Solomon's patience ran out; he was yearning to get on the move. "I think it best to retrieve them at dark," he said. "We can knock them out before they transform. Perhaps you could find a way to keep them in this human form, when they can't attack."

Solomon waited for a reply. He listened, and oddly couldn't hear his superior's breathing even in the silence. Yet he felt a tensed and shocked energy in the air and knew the old man was still alive.

"…What?" he superior finally said.

"When we capture them," Solomon explained. "We already know where they live—they have bought a house outside Sherman. They blend in like normal teenagers, even attend a high school. If we do this carefully, I'm sure we can easily catch them. Keeping them, however, could prove difficult unless we find a way to subdue their robotic forms."

"No."

Solomon blinked. "What?"

"No," his superior rasped again. "We will not capture them."

Solomon stared straight ahead in the darkness, wishing he could see some sign of what was going on in his superior's head. "G3 is to guard earth from aliens. These are aliens. It is our job—"

"They are not a threat."

Solomon blinked. "How are you sure?"

"Do not question me."

Solomon's jaw tightened. He always obeyed his superior but _he_ was the face of G3. He called almost all of the shots. He at least had the right to know what was going on. "I do not understand."

"You will watch them," his superior said. "You will not allow them to notice you. Report everything you learn to me."

"Who knows what they're planning," Solomon argued. "We can't risk it—we have to find out. We need to get them under control, capture them, force the information out of them if necessary—"

 _"No._ You will _only_ watch them. That is an order."

 **Little note: Solomon's flagship is actually called "robo-tanker," but I found that…impersonal. I decided to steal the name of G3 HQ and name Solomon's ship Motherbird. It's the black one that fires the Wave-Motion Cannon.**


	2. Episodes 3 & 4

Episode Three: Elephant Logic

Solomon set up a spy network focused on the Lunises. His spies needed to be as close to them as possible, but not too close to be noticed. G3 excelled at staying in the shadows, and Solomon found ways to use the situation to his advantage and gather information from sources outside G3.

For one, any news about Sherman High was brought to him. It was a public school; so much of its information was public. He knew the sports teams and school events and everyone who was anywhere near Lance and Ilana. After some minor hacking by G3 agents, he managed to get his hands on their grades. Both of them excelled and were perfect students. Though it didn't appear they had any close friends, other than each other.

…This was nothing. There was no use to any of this information. These were _alien creatures_ with advanced technology, and he was stuck with their high school test grades? They had destructive weaponry and all he knew about their strength was their _participation grade_ in physical education. All this was normal information.

Solomon was seething on the inside. He had an army, an elite spy network, advanced technology, _so much_ at his disposal. And this was what it was all meant for—interaction with aliens. Whether they were threats or friends. And yet he wasn't allowed to do anything besides stand aside and watch.

Monsters were crashing onto earth and destroy cities. The next time that happened—Solomon was sure there would be a next time—they had to be ready.

A week blandly passed.

Solomon was responsible, however, and tried to make the most of the limits his superior had forced upon him. It was obvious that the aliens were trying to blend in. They were hiding among the common citizens. It was strange that they had chosen a high school, of all places. Other than perhaps the history of earth (which they could figure out through the internet), they had nothing to learn from Sherman High. How old were they? They _appeared_ to be teenagers, but why would such young aliens come to earth?

Solomon frustratingly tried to puzzle all this out on his limited info. However, he was distracted when a side project of his perked up; his spies on Steel had some more interesting information.

Since Steel had continuously tried to meddle in alien and G3 affairs, Solomon had decided to keep an eye on him and set up a spy network for him, too. G3 agents could get their hands on any information on earth, and had uncovered a secret military operation orchestrated by Steel.

Steel had sent a submarine to the waters outside Sherman, where Titan and the fire monster had battled. And there, Steel had retrieved one of the fire monster's rocks that G3 had left behind.

Solomon reclined as he read the report, considering. It was understandable that Steel wouldn't trust G3; he knew little of it. The general didn't understand their training, their technology, their preparation and planning for the eventual discovery of alien life. These aliens were an important matter, and posed a huge threat to earth. Of course Steel would want some information, too. He wouldn't want to stand by, as Solomon was being forced to.

Fine. Steel could have the rock. Solomon was confident that, with his limited American military technology, Steel could figure out anything G3 hadn't already. But that didn't mean Solomon wouldn't be keeping an eye on the situation.

OOO

A day or two later, reports of Titan sightings came spilling in. Solomon drank them up—there had been no alien monster attacking, and yet Titan had shown up. It was a few miles from Sherman City, in farmlands. So there were no cameras, no news reporters. Only a handful of nervous farmers and a few children had been there. G3 agents confiscated two blurry cell-phone pictures taken from very far away, one of which the thumb was partly on the lens.

Titan had been there for a very short time. According to reports, it had jogged around the fields for a bit, fired some missiles that had blown up an unfortunate silo, abruptly flew off, and later crashed to the ground and finally disappeared.

…No one had any idea as to why. Lance and Ilana had coincidentally been away from their house the entire day, and hadn't returned until nightfall. Solomon was under orders, and could not capture them for any information they might have on what happened to Titan. Solomon learned nothing from this appearance of the giant robot—except that it could fly, which, considering its advanced technology, wasn't much of a surprise.

Solomon had very little time to look into this, however, as his spies on Steel suddenly demanded his attention.

"Sir, Steel is about to use an X-18 nuclear laser on the alien matter," one of his agents alerted him.

Solomon gritted his teeth, what a stupid thing for Steel to do. Using nuclear technology on unknown matter was practically inviting disaster. Such a force would doubtlessly release the energy that was dormant within the rock. His scientists had warned him of how dangerous that was.

"Patch me through to him," Solomon said.

He stepped forward before his monitors of the G3 control room as his agents got to work. They tapped rapidly, and in a few moments they had hacked into the military base and Steel's back was on screen.

"Steel," Solomon said, drawing the general's attention. Steel whirled to look at him, as did many other military operatives; both scientists and soldiers. How unfortunate, they now knew about Solomon. G3 preferred to remain as hidden as possible.

Solomon quickly spotted the alien rock at the edge of the screen, with an X-18 positioned above it. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Solomon!" Steel practically flinched away from the screen, like a child caught red-handed, but he quickly recomposed himself, putting his fists on his hips.

"We've been tracking your rather _mysterious_ maritime geological adventures," Solomon said coldly. Steel wasn't supposed to do anything involving the aliens and he knew it. Solomon remained formal as always, but slipped in his displeasure in his tone.

Steel had been caught off-guard, but his shock quickly turned into rage. "This is a top-secret military exercise!" He turned to a technician behind him. "Get him off that monitor!"

Solomon knew Steel's men were capable of cutting him off, so he got to the point. "I'm warning you, general, you're messing with things beyond your—" The screen went blank.

There was a pause as Solomon considered his options very carefully. He knew Steel would press forward and use the X-18. The energy that burst forth from the alien remains would cause much destruction.

"Sir?" an agent asked tentatively. "Should we…try to get the signal back? Or move out?"

"No," Solomon said immediately. There was no way for G3 to get there in time to stop Steel. Solomon wouldn't risk his agents cleaning up Steel's mess.

Solomon had been lenient; he had allowed Steel to do this. Now Steel had to face the consequences. If Steel got away with this, he would merely continue to meddle with the aliens. As the exercise was secret, there was no superior above Steel who could punish him. Thus the consequences had to be natural. Steel would have to see the destruction of his base himself to know not to do this again.

It was a dangerous game. Steel's actions could lead to others being harmed. Who knew what energy would be released from the stone.

There was nothing he could do, however. Steel was likely using the X-18 this moment. G3 was to protect earth from aliens—not clean up military messes.

"Start having our scientists research the remains we have," Solomon ordered. "And ways to counter the energy. Hack into that base's security feed—I want to know every inch of the place."

He turned away and stalked off—he would be staying up all night to see how this played out.

OOO

Steel, apparently, did not do the same. The general had returned to his personal quarters to sleep. Which solidified Solomon's statement that Steel had no idea what he was messing with.

Very early in the morning, the lab where the stone was being kept abruptly burst into a miniature hurricane. Cameras inside went dead and cameras watching the lab from outside showed a black and red unnatural storm. And the storm was slowly expanding.

That was unpredicted—Solomon had assumed the stone would explode or perhaps turn into a fire-monster. He whirled around to his nearest agent.

"Assemble Team Gamma," Solomon ordered, "And patch me through to Steel."

Team Gamma was the second emergency team of G3. It wasn't primary like Team Delta, and the _Motherbird_ wasn't a part of it.

Solomon wasn't flying off to fight the monster this time—this time he was going to watch the creature—storm—whatever it was. He believed Titan would appear, and he wanted to be there to see the fight, unlike the last two times. Though how could the giant robot fight a storm?

When Solomon boarded the Gamma hovercraft he brought up a G3 video feed on the storm. It was gigantic, a tower of black clouds into the sky. It swirled and rumbled as if angry.

Solomon glanced up as he was given a communicator to Steel's personal landline phone. He switched it on as they took off.

Steel picked up quickly and growled through the phone; "This better be good!"

"Look outside," Solomon said dryly. The storm was right outside the base's quarters. Steel merely had to look out his window to see it.

"What?!"

Solomon did not respond. It was time for Steel to see what his actions had led to. He turned off the communicator as the hovercraft sped towards Sherman.

OOO

Solomon leapt off the Gamma craft once they reached the military base. He paused on the ground, adjusting to being on solid earth rather than a plane, and straightened. Steel was before him, firing _missiles_ at a _storm._ How did he expect that to have any effect?

The missiles exploded against it—fascinating, Solomon thought. The storm was some kind of mix of solid and gas. It bulged, rumbling red and black and occasionally flashing white lightning.

Solomon approached Steel. "You're wasting your time," Solomon said to him.

"You got any better ideas?" Steel's petulant voice made Solomon less inclined to help him.

"Well I was thinking," Solomon said smoothly, "Since you _caused_ this, you would have a clue as to how to stop it." Solomon wanted to see if Steel had done _any_ research on the remains before exposing them to nuclear technology. He doubted it.

"What!" Steel whirled on Solomon in fury, but a guilty look briefly passed over his face. Ah, so he hadn't.

Steel turned his back to Solomon and addressed his men. "We need more firepower!"

Solomon held back a sigh as Steel gathered more useless weapons. He certainly wasn't going to offer G3 weapons to join in the useless endeavor.

What mattered was the threat this storm posed. G3's scientists had yet to find a solution. Until they did, G3 was as useless against the storm as Steel was. Solomon wasn't sure they'd find a solution in time; the storm was expanding and would eventually reach the city.

He was counting on Titan to show up. It had twice before, why not now? And he was eager to see how it would handle the situation.

For now, though, he had to wait and watch Steel use bigger and bigger and more useless guns.

While watching, Solomon got an alert from his spy network on the Lunises. Something odd had happened—Lance and Ilana hadn't aced a project. Normally they passed every test and every scrap of homework with flying colors. There was some history project, however, that they had apparently done horribly on. So horribly the teacher was making them do it over again.

Why the sudden change, Solomon wondered. Ignoring the latest of Steel's explosions, he looked deeper into the report. G3 stayed away from Sherman High so that they wouldn't be detected, but apparently an agent had gotten close enough to hear rumors from the students; Lance and Ilana were having some kind of sibling fight.

…It was interesting that this would happen at the same time as Titan's strange behavior in the fields yesterday. Titan had crashed, and Lance and Ilana were arguing.

A theory bloomed in Solomon's head; the two robots that Lance and Ilana turned into showed up before Titan did, yet disappeared whenever Titan entered the scene. They were somehow behind Titan; Solomon _knew_ it, but how?

Was their argument messing up Titan? Would Titan be unable to appear to save the day this time?

Solomon looked up from his report to see that Steel had finally realized his guns had no effect. So instead, the general was going to use an EMP.

Solomon slowly exhaled, wondering how someone so stupid could achieve such a high rank. Perhaps it had been some political favor—it was good that G3 was above such things.

Solomon remained silent as Steel directed the EMP to aim at the storm. An unfortunate scientist nervously stuttered beside Steel.

"Prepare to fire the EMP!" Steel cried.

"Sir," objected the scientist, "We don't _know_ what the electromagnetic pulse will do to it—"

"FIRE!"

The tank-like blaster hummed and glowed, before firing a ray of lime-green light at the storm.

The rumbling black clouds did nothing—they didn't flinch back or dissipate or dramatically explode like Steel was probably hoping. Solomon folded his hands behind his back, unsurprised.

The storm growled, oddly animal-like, and all of a sudden a jet of lightning shot out. Solomon was far enough that he didn't have to bother to dodge it, but Steel sprinted out of the way as the lightning hit the roads. Pavement was unearthed and the lightning within the storm seemed to grow fiercer.

"Uh-oh," Steel muttered.

Slightly worried now, Solomon checked his reports again—still no progress. His scientists hadn't found a weakness in the creature yet (nor his superior, if he _was_ looking at all), and the storm was nearing Sherman. Perhaps it was time to order an evacuation and bring in more G3 troops—

A shadow passed overhead and Solomon looked up at a golden gleam in the sky. The gold robot—the one he had seen Ilana turn into—was flying towards the storm.

Solomon blinked at her before hastily checking his reports again. His G3 spies had sent him a message—Ilana had been absent for her last class.

"Target that alien!" Steel cried, trying to mobilize his troops that had scattered after the lightning attack.

Solomon calmly watched in fascination as the gold robot—or _Ilana—_ stopped to hover before the storm. Her metal body went rigid, arms outstretched, and the bands of metal that formed her hair-like design opened up. Six of them upturned resembled a crown of sunlight above her head, and sparked with electricity. What was she doing, Solomon wondered?

He didn't have time to observe further, as Steel began to fire. Solomon grimaced in annoyance; couldn't Steel leave her alone so Solomon could find out what she was trying to do? All she had done was hover before the storm. Had she been watching it? Scanning it, perhaps?

She turned and her hair folded back. Smoke from the missiles' explosions covered her from view, but Solomon saw her turn and start to fly away.

He watched, tense, alert for any sign of her. He cursed inwardly; he'd lost sight of her. He started to lift his wrist to his com device to call in G3 to search, but the storm growled again. Solomon froze, recognizing the sound from when it had blasted lightning before. It was about to attack again—

Sure enough, a powerful bolt of lightning struck out the storm. It blasted through a news van and shot across the fields before blowing a bridge into pieces.

Solomon stared at the bridge. _Now_ things were dangerous, and G3 should step in. But as Solomon turned back to the storm, he was taken by surprise by the sight of Titan standing in the open, against the blackness of the alien hurricane.

 _Where_ had the robot _come from?_

The gold robot was nowhere to be seen, nor the purple one. It was only Titan, now.

The storm growled a third time, and another bolt of lightning struck out, heading for the city. Titan whirled and leapt over the fields, jumping into the lighting's path just before it hit a hospital.

The impact on Titan caused a huge explosion. The ground shook and Solomon felt the heat from it and the wild wind it caused. He gripped onto his fedora before the wind snatched it off. He was nearly blown back from the blast but held his ground.

When it had passed, Solomon looked up. Titan still stood, sparks flying off its body. A sword was in one of its hands, a shield was in its other. It looked up at the storm but didn't move. Solomon narrowed his eyes, wondering what it was doing. Why wouldn't it attack the storm?

And then, abruptly, music started playing.

 _"When fighting and not sharing, and nothing seems to work!/it's time to put your heads to togetheeeeeeer…and think of something good!"_

There were many, many, confused looks on Steel's soldiers. Even Solomon was taken off-guard for a moment. He didn't know what this music was, but it sounded like a children's show. Two high-pitched voices sang the song from Titan's body. The robot was still unmoving, sword and shield held in both its hands.

The words repeated, along with a playful flute. Steel growled as if the children's song offended him. "Gah, what is that?"

Solomon, however, found a smile creeping on his face. The ridiculousness of the situation was not lost on him—an alien robotic weapon was playing an earth children's song on teamwork.

It was an interesting subject— _teamwork._ Lance and Ilana had been fighting. Perhaps they controlled Titan together. Was this song somehow supposed to help them?

Either way, Solomon would certainly be looking into this music later today. Why had such a thing attracted alien attention?

The storm gave its roar of warning before shooting more lightning at Titan. Titan locked together its sword and shield as guard before the lightning impacted. Yet again Solomon had to shield himself with his arms as the impact blew out everywhere, shaking the ground.

When the smoke cleared, Titan was kneeing on the ground. It got up, and the music stopped playing. Solomon tilted his head, wondering if Titan was finally going to attack.

Titan's sword and shield vanished from its hands and then its core glowed. Like a rocket taking off, blue fire came from its feet and began to lift the robot. But Titan leaned to the side, unbalanced. It blew aside a few tanks with its jets before spinning around and flying into the air.

Solomon watched it fly up, awed. It was truly remarkable. The alien technology was so advanced, to build something as huge and detailed as this.

Titan flew into the storm, and Solomon lost sight of it.

The storm rumbled, cracking lighting and flashing white. A few moments passed where nothing happened. Steel was trying to recover his forces while Solomon's eyes were locked on the storm. There was a battle going on in there, one he couldn't see. Who would be victorious?

Seconds ticked by. The storm glowed white, building up its power. Occasionally Solomon thought he could see Titan's silhouette through the black clouds.

Light suddenly pierced through the hurricane, bright and blinding. It came from all angles, and, with a mighty crash, the storm exploded. The black clouds faded into normal air. Titan remained in the sky, too high and far away for Solomon to get a good look at it.

It began to rain over the city. The water droplets were warm but harmless; Steel's soldier outstretched their hands to feel the raindrops. Sunlight came through the overcast sky.

"He did it," Solomon heard Steel murmur.

Titan had proven itself yet again. It had jumped in the path of two lightning bolts to protect the hospital, and defeated a monster that humans had created.

Titan began to plummet, falling to the ground. It landed in fields with a crash, and Solomon felt a flicker of concern. He didn't want earth to lose its best chance of defense, no matter how little he knew about it.

"MOVE!" Steel ordered, pointing to where Titan had crashed.

Solomon tensed—it would be disastrous of Steel got his hands on Titan. Steel's experiments on the remains of the fire monster had led to this mess.

As Steel hurried onto one of his tanks, Solomon discreetly hitched a ride. If Steel _did_ find something where Titan had crashed, Solomon had to be there to stop him from getting it. G3 took everything alien—Steel couldn't have a moonrock if Solomon could help it.

The crater was empty when they got there; Titan had disappeared as usual. There was no trace of the gold and purple robots, nor Lance and Ilana. Solomon wasn't supposed to capture them anyway, but having to catch them to save them from Steel would have been a fair excuse to do so.

"My base is destroyed!" Steel pounded his fist on his tank. True; the storm had reduced Steel's base to ruins. It would be difficult to rebuild it. "That Titan! _He_ did this!"

Solomon didn't even bother to point out the huge flaw in that logic. Steel had created the storm; Titan was the one who had stopped it.

Solomon could press charges against Steel. He had proof—recordings and the evidence of Steel's operation that had otherwise been destroyed along with the base. G3 had the power to ruin Steel for illegal involvement with alien material. Steel had broken code.

But that would require G3 involvement in such laws. They would have to come out of anonymity and approach officials with the evidence. There would be examinations and testimonies, hearings and juries. It would be a media circus.

G3 didn't do such things. They stayed in the shadows, hid in secret. Perhaps Steel losing his base would make him finally understand he had to leave the aliens to G3, as it should be.

Solomon would do nothing; he wouldn't present the evidence. Steel would get away with this, and G3 would stay hidden.

"I hope you learned your lesson, General," Solomon said flatly, and then he leapt to his hovercraft flying above. He boarded and the craft turned, heading back to base.

He truly did hope Steel would understand, and that this particular problem was all over.

Episode Four: The Phantom Ninja

Solomon was interested when he heard Ilana was throwing a 'food party.' According to his spies' reports, Ilana was trying to push a petition to Sherman High for better lunch meals. To gather support, she organized an event in the school's cafeteria to try new meal options.

Solomon was suspicious—what would be in the food? He barely knew anything about why these aliens were here, the meals could be poisoned. Why aliens would want to poison high school teenagers, though, was beyond him. His instincts told him that wasn't the case.

Solomon was presented with a colorful poster an agent had swiped from the school. Ilana had made this for her party; bright, big letters described the event along with the time and date on it. It seemed perfectly innocent.

He was distracted from the party, however, when something peculiar happened to G3 readings. According to his scanners, something had entered earth's atmosphere and then abruptly disappeared. There were no readings besides that first entrance. There was no giant monster that landed on earth and began attacking. Everything seemed normal.

He had his agents check the scanners' mechanics and they found nothing. The scanners were in perfect condition and working fine.

Solomon asked his superior about it, who simply instructed "Be alert." Which Solomon supposed meant that he had no idea either.

Solomon was alert, though, and kept a careful eye on the events in Sherman City. If the scanners had been right and there had been a ship, that would be where the alien vessel would land. He was reported to about every event in the city.

And he wasn't disappointed; there was a _"Phantom Ninja,"_ as witnesses called him. A mysterious character who was fighting small crime. He always arrived before the authorities and left before anyone could really see him. There were only a few eyewitness accounts.

Of course, this could be a regular human. There was no proof this had anything to do with aliens. Until a dramatic event at a bank robbery.

It was a chaotic public event—a bank robbery, which normally G3 wouldn't bat an eye at, blew up before the appearance of the purple robot. Someone had captured the robot on their cell phone video. This video was given to new reporters before G3 could confiscate it, and now everyone had seen the footage. The bank was in flames as the purple robot emerged and then flew off, disappearing behind a building.

Solomon paced in the privacy of his quarters, yet again filled with questions. Why? The purple robot was Lance in armor, so why had he gotten involved in a bank robbery? He was the 'Phantom Ninja'? Solomon took another look at a short security footage that had briefly caught the Ninja's shadowy form, and Solomon had to admit it was likely Lance under that blue hoodie. Why were the aliens concerned with small crimes? They fought monsters, not humans.

Unfortunately there was no footage of what had happened inside the bank. The cameras were all blown up by Lance, and had been deactivated by the bank robbers anyway. None of the robbers had survived the explosion, so there were no other witnesses.

When Solomon proposed to his superior that this was reason enough to capture the aliens, he had been turned down yet again. Lance's explosion had killed people—yet his superior waved it off, saying G3 still had to wait. It could have been self-defense for all they knew; the victims had been gangsters, after all.

Solomon had to frustratingly table it for now—tonight was Ilana's party. It was time to test her food and see what she was up to.

The party did not go well. Many people turned up, but left very quickly. Solomon couldn't figure out why. His agents couldn't ask the students without being obvious, but one spy overheard that it had something to do with Lance. Solomon didn't understand; Lance hadn't even been there. Solomon had no idea where the male alien had suddenly disappeared to. Another 'Phantom Ninja' run?

Still, it seemed the reason for the party's failure had to do with high school drama rather than strange alien events. People seemed to like the food. Two agents had snuck into the party in disguise for only a few minutes, and gotten out before all the students had abruptly decided to leave. One of them retrieved a few samples and Solomon had his scientists examine it.

But only a few minutes after the party had failed, his agents reported that a strange figure had breached the perimeter of the school and was heading for the lunch room. One of his men managed to get an image; it was an alien.

It was an odd creature; the color of dried blood. It had long tentacles rather than legs and the upper half of its body resembled an insect. Its eyes were bright acid green, with two pupils in each eyeball. Solomon only had one picture of it as it snuck in through the back door. He was monitoring the situation from the G3 base, he couldn't do anything.

His agents confirmed that all the humans had left the building; the only one left was Ilana. Lance was still nowhere.

Fighting broke out. No agent was in the school to see what was happening, but lasers strayed from the building and shot into the sky.

Solomon was about to order his agents to get in closer when the purple robot arrived. Lance busted through the walls, and moments later the red alien was seen fleeing.

For a moment everything was silent. His agents had nothing to report as they waited. But then they sent him images of a ship, a huge ship that resembled a cockroach. It could apparently camouflage; it had appeared out of nowhere. Lance and Ilana, in their armored suits, flew out of the school and were attacked by the ship, before they vanished yet again.

…and Titan appeared. Solomon's theory came back into his mind, and this further confirmed it. Lance and Ilana were somehow making Titan. They _were_ Titan….somehow.

The cockroach ship turned its nose up to look at Titan. It was very small in comparison to the giant robot.

It tried to shoot—three red streams of light blasted out of its nose and fired at Titan's leg—but there was no effect. That was interesting; even alien weapons struggled against Titan.

Titan, unharmed by the attack, lifted a foot and tried to stomp on the ship. It was an amusing sight; a colossal game of trying to crush the insect. But the ship hastily scurried back on its long legs.

Titan stomped again and again, and the ship ran from the robot's massive feet. Solomon wondered what this new creature was, precisely; it wasn't a giant monster. It was smart enough to pilot a ship. Why was it here? Titan was attacking it; was that enough reason to assume it was an enemy?

The ship launched something right as Titan finally crushed it flat. Titan's head looked up at the projectile, heading up into space.

Solomon swiftly turned on his com to his spies as Titan lifted its hand, shifting its fingers into a blaster and taking aim at the object. "Get that pod—!"

But both G3 and Titan were too late. In a streak of light, the pod zoomed across the sky. G3 scanners lit up, and showed the pod leaving the atmosphere. It didn't go far into space, however; it vanished into the mysterious portal that all these aliens came through.

Solomon froze, staring at the readings. This was the first time something went _back_ through the portal. Everything that came either stayed on earth or died here.

…What did this mean?

OOO

Later that night, Solomon's scientists came back with the testing results from Ilana's food; it was all normal. All the ingredients were regular earth food; there were no chemicals or poisons. Everything it was made of was found at the local grocery store.

Though all of her food looked like mash, whether baked or boiled or cooked some other way, all of it was healthy, the scientists reported. One G3 nutritionist (Solomon kept a handful of those around to be sure his soldiers were in the best shape) was ecstatic about the food. Each meal, she said, was well-balanced in the five food groups. You could eat what you wanted and be perfectly healthy.

The scientists took the liberty to replicate the food on their own, and many tried it and reported it was good. The food was harmless—beneficial, even.

That meant Ilana's wishes had been true. She had wanted to give her school a delicious and healthy lunch menu. There were no ulterior motives.

Solomon was a little pleased, therefore, when all her kind hard work paid off. The next day, she and Lance served their food, and the petition was signed.


	3. Episodes 5 & 6

Episode Five: Roar of the White Dragon

Lance had been arrested. For street racing.

Solomon was rather taken aback when he got the alert. Things had been normal for about three weeks—Ilana had gotten an F on an assignment earlier that day, but that was hardly noteworthy. The two aliens were fitting into the school and the city was undisturbed by monsters. The crater in Sherman where the fire monster had attacked was still being rebuilt.

Why would Lance be street racing, though? These aliens had advanced technology, why would they bother with cars unless to blend in?

As far as Solomon could tell, they wanted to hide, and participating in illegal activity attracted attention. Lance had stopped his "phantom ninja" outings after he had revealed his robotic form in the bank robbery. Investigators were still swarming to find out what exactly had happened that night, but G3 carefully kept any real evidence out of the public's reach.

Due to illegal street racing, Lance's car was confiscated. And according to police records, it matched no standard model. Solomon, through G3 authority, organized a mission to investigate.

Solomon decided to do it personally. He dressed in civilian uniform, posing as an investigator. He came in at night, in late hours, with a few of his scientists who were also in disguise with him. His agents were monitoring the area to alert Solomon if Lance and Ilana came to get the car, whether legally or by sneaking in.

G3 wasn't going to leave any trace, as always. They would not leave a single fingerprint on the car, or a bolt out of place. Lance and Ilana would never know they had been here.

A regular policeman led them to the vehicle. The man was obviously confused and showed small signs of nervousness. He continuously glanced back at Solomon, and ducked his head a few inches when he felt Solomon looking at him. Solomon followed him through the parking lot without commenting on it.

The policeman finally pointed the car out to them. "So…" he began, "Am I supposed to write a report?"

"No," said Solomon flatly. He did not look at the man; his eyes were locked on the car. "We're just here to check something. It's all worked out; don't bother to do anything else. It won't take long. We don't need you here for it."

That was a dismissal, and the policeman knew it. He shuffled away and neither Solomon nor his men budged until they heard the sound of the policeman's door closing echo across the parking lot.

"Move," Solomon ordered.

The scientists swiftly approached the car, lifting their briefcases. They pulled out gloves and scanners, carefully examining the vehicle before they so much as touched it.

Solomon stood right before it, hands in his pockets. He wore dark sunglasses (rather than his regular googles) that didn't work well or make sense in the middle of the night. But Solomon preferred to keep his face at least a little hidden. Without his hat or high collar, he felt exposed. Yet he kept the appearance of being comfortable.

The car looked normal. It was of a firm design, with stainless metallic edges and a straight rectangular form. The only thing odd about its appearance was that it wasn't painted; the metal was uncovered. His scientists informed him that it was made of regular earth elements, mostly aluminum, like most cars.

However, they reported that a strange power source was inside. Solomon nodded his consent and they carefully, with their gloved hands, lifted the hood.

Solomon stepped forward and leaned down to take a look. The inside looked normal, too. There was no visible advanced or out-of-place technology.

One scientist reached forward with his scanner and located the power source in the engine. Solomon watched their every move as they carefully took apart the engine to find the energy.

Inside the engine was something that _wasn't_ normal. It was a transparent, glowing blue orb. It was the size of a baseball; perfectly round and smooth in appearance. The little orb vaguely looked like water, but it was solid. It hummed slightly, and was attached to the rest of the engine through small wires that poked into it. As it was transparent, Solomon could see the wires were merely suspended through it.

"We have no idea what this is, sir," the scientist looked baffled.

Solomon stared at the orb for a long time. Where had it come from? Did Lance and Ilana make it, or had they brought it with them from their home planet? Did something like this power their armored suits? Did it ever run out of energy? How was it stable? What else could it be used for? How many of these things did the aliens have?

His agents did not move as he pondered all this, but patiently waited. They were perfectly loyal and understood exactly what he wanted.

The most important factor of this mission was not to be discovered. His superior had made that very clear when Solomon had proposed the idea to him. They were to study the car, nothing else. He almost didn't let Solomon go, but Solomon insisted. The aliens had built this—it was the only piece of their technology Solomon could get his hands on besides their ship. And this car was mostly made with human mechanics, so perhaps through that they could understand the alien parts interfaced with it.

Solomon didn't understand this, though. It was a power source, but it resembled nothing he had ever seen. He was tempted to take it. Perhaps Lance and Ilana wouldn't realize it was gone. G3 could research it all they wanted, maybe even use it.

No. Solomon's superior would never allow it if he were here. There was no telling how important this thing was to Lance and Ilana. The aliens were willing to leave it unguarded in a parking lot, but they might be eager to have it back. Solomon knew that if he took it, they were bound to find out it was missing eventually. And who knew what lengths they would go to in order to retrieve it.

He was _tempted_ though. He was tempted to ignore the possible consequences, risk the chance of discovery, and seize the alien power source.

But he couldn't.

"Put everything back," Solomon said softly. "Take scans. Then close the hood; we're leaving."

OOO

Over a week later another monster landed in Sherman. Titan defeated it easily and dropped the body in the ocean. G3 retrieved the remains and began researching it, per usual. Solomon received few alerts from his spies, but he did get notice that Lance had passed his driving test and earned a license. Lance could now drive legally.

Episode Six: Shaman of Fear

Solomon made a difficult choice—to dispose of some of the bodies of the monsters. It seemed now that monsters would consistently appear about every month, and if that continued, G3 HQ would eventually overflow. The fire monster's rocks took up a lot of space, and the latest long-limbed creature was also a big load.

Even dropping half of each of these bodies would still leave a lot left for research. Solomon was reluctant to get rid of any of it—this was _once-living alien matter—_ but every single rock of the fire monster was exactly the same. It was pointless to have so much of it.

Of course, it would all have to be disposed of very carefully. Solomon did not want another disaster like Steel's storm. Though all of the fire monster's rocks had lost their energy by now, Solomon would still make sure they were broken down very slowly and far away from anything important. Nothing could be left of the monsters—no one besides G3 could get their hands on the aliens. Especially not Steel.

As for what G3 did keep, Solomon decided to make it simpler to access. He would put it all on display; one of the fire monster's rocks, the blue ship that had first arrived, a limb of the latest creature, a head of the robotic dog-monster, and space for the objects yet to come. Records would be carefully organized in this space and information would be kept on how each monster had been defeated.

It was all for the purposes of examination. Construction was beginning when, one night, some very odd things happened.

Solomon had been sleeping when the scanners picked up something entering earth's atmosphere, but he was immediately fully alert. Something crashed onto earth. Solomon was ready for action in less than a minute.

Solomon took his normal seat in the control room. The room was white and brightly lit, but the large windows that showed the outside sky were pitch-black tonight; there wasn't even a moon out. Solomon could barely see the stars.

His men were sitting at computers around him. G3 had enough soldiers to work shifts and always be operational. One agent handed Solomon the records of the crashed object.

The object had crashed far outside Sherman, in a forest out in the middle of nowhere. There was no civilization for miles from the location. Good, there would be no causalities or damage. G3's satellite picked up Titan appearing outside Sherman a few minutes after the crash. Though the satellite was not as detailed or precise as Solomon would like it, it easily picked up the huge robot as it headed to the crash site. It watched the robot's journey the whole way.

Titan had reached the object when the satellite went dead.

There was a pause in the room. One could hear a pin drop in the silence. This had never happened before; G3 was always active. They had numerous backup generators and multiple cameras and signals. Yet Solomon stared at what was now a black, blank screen.

"What happened?" Solomon said into the silence.

His agents immediately began to work, searching for an answer to give him. Solomon remained perfectly still, hands steady on the arms of his seat.

"Sir, nothing's responding," an agent finally said. "The satellite…it's like it's not even there."

Then the screen flickered and opened up right back where it had been before. The image was immediate.

"Everything's back to normal, sir."

But it wasn't. The satellite was showing the same location. The latest alien object, black and blended into the darkness, was still there. But Titan was not. Titan had disappeared.

His agents must have realized that, looking up at the screen and glancing unsurely at each other.

"Find it," Solomon ordered.

Titan had disappeared every time its battle was done, but the crashed object was still here. So why wasn't Titan? Were Lance and Ilana there? Had they turned off the G3 satellite to hide something? How would they know to do that? Did Titan disappear on purpose, or was this something else?

The satellite's camera zoomed in and out, looking all around the forest. There were trees in all directions. "Sir, there's nothing in the area except for…the black object."

Solomon considered. There was something very strange going on. He felt, deep inside, that something was wrong…

"Keep monitoring that thing and report any change," Solomon got up from his seat and began to leave the room. "I want our spies to watch the Lunis residence all night, and report any activity to me." The door closed behind him and he began to rapidly walk through the halls. The base seemed eerily silent, and Solomon's footsteps echoed loudly back to him.

He reached the ladder and climbed down. Once he was at the bottom, he took a few steps in and stopped. "…Sir?"

He faintly heard the breathing, but there was no response. "Sir? Are you awake?"

"…Yes," the voice hissed through the air.

Solomon felt an odd chill go through him but he did not show it. He hesitated a moment before speaking. "Have you been watching the latest satellite feeds, sir?"

"…Yes."

"Then you know about the crash, and how Titan has disappeared."

"…Yes."

"Should we investigate the object, sir?"

Pause. Solomon waited. Second after second ticked by.

"No," his superior finally said. "Do not go anywhere near it, or anywhere near the Lunises. Tell your spies to keep a careful distance."

Solomon looked up, surprised. "Sir?"

There was no response, for Solomon's superior knew he had heard him. But Solomon did not understand. "Sir, I don't think that's wise. Whatever this thing is, it blinded our satellite and it has gotten rid of Titan. We have no idea where Titan is and we're not sure the Lunises are even home. We should be watching _more_ , not less."

" _No."_ His superior's voice dropped dangerously low. _"_ Call back your spies."

Solomon tried to think of an argument, but he knew there was no hope of changing his superior's mind. He turned away and climbed back up the ladder. He paused when he was outside and then gritted his teeth. Titan was missing, he had no idea why, and he wasn't allowed to find out.

He was beginning to doubt his superior's leadership.

OOO

Solomon still received _some_ information, even without his spies. The only information he had, though, was what Sherman High gave him. Both Lance and Ilana were present for school the next morning.

Solomon tapped his fingers on his chair as he pondered it. Why were they there? Why weren't they investigating the object? Why had they left it so abruptly?

He was surprised when, around midday, the school records said they had both abruptly skipped school, running from the classroom. Why would they leave so suddenly? _Now_ would they go inspect the object?

After that Solomon had no information at all. He didn't know where they went. He had no idea if they were home or not. He kept the satellite trained on both Sherman and the object; Titan could reappear at either place.

Titan _did_ appear in Sherman, right outside of the Lunis home. Solomon was alerted immediately, but when he pulled the live satellite footage on screen, Titan was on a knee. It was weak, Solomon could tell, its head was low and the lights throughout its body were dim.

He leaned forward. This wasn't good. Titan was earth's only defense against the monsters. And so far, Titan had defeated these creatures almost easily. There was no giant monster here, and yet somehow Titan was weakened.

How was Titan harmed? Solomon doubted any technology G3 had could stand a chance against the robot. The Wave-Motion Cannon might do damage, but it wouldn't _defeat_ Titan. Solomon's scientists were working on new weapons, but those were still in development. His superior seemed uninterested in making such weapons, and only did so when Solomon pressed him.

So far the best thing they had was the 'Titan Prison,' a containment area in G3 HQ. It was big enough to hold Titan and carried a pair of huge handcuff-bands that Solomon's superior had designed. The bottom also opened up, so Titan could be removed or brought in from the area fairly easily.

Solomon was drawn from his thoughts as Titan moved. It stood from its kneeling position and then took to the air. But rather than head for the crashed object, Titan went in the opposite direction.

Was Titan…running? If Titan wouldn't defeat these monsters attacking earth, what would? And what was Titan running _from?_ This object just sat there, it didn't _do_ anything.

Just then, it did. Solomon, at the alerts of his agents, shifted his attention to the camera locked on the object. It was glowing—glowing turquoise in odd hieroglyphs. The unfamiliar shapes of some sort of alien language shifted around the object, and then the _object_ shifted with them. Solomon watched the scene from the bird's view satellite camera as the object grew six arms and legs. It was no longer a useless form—it was a monster.

And then, it vanished in a puff of smoke.

…A monster was now free on earth, and Solomon had no idea where it even was. Titan was fleeing and weak. And if Solomon's spies had been allowed to watch what was happening, maybe he would have some idea of _what was going on._

"Follow Titan," Solomon felt his voice go lower in frustration. "Watch news reports for any appearance of the creature in cities." The monsters seemed attracted to cities and large civilizations. He had no reason to believe this one might be different.

Titan flew for hours. It crossed time zones, and soon reached a place where it was night. It was difficult to track it through the satellite in the dark. Solomon's men struggled but managed.

"Sir," one agent spoke up, "Titan's current path will lead it over an industrial complex. That area is polluted, and currently overcast. It will be impossible to see the robot from the satellite."

"How big is the complex?" Solomon asked without looking up. He pulled up another hologram-screen and watched the area.

"Very large, sir. Between the complex and the overcast sky, even if Titan remains at its current speed, we won't be able to see it for almost ten minutes."

Solomon grimaced. "Contact anyone who might be at the complex and tell them to be alert and to report any activity to us. Once you lose sight of Titan, watch the spot where it should come out and begin the estimated time."

"Yes, sir." His agents turned away to carry out his orders.

Solomon moved his keyboard and began to prepare an order for Team Gamma to begin to head after Titan. The satellite was unreliable and couldn't do anything if G3 needed to get involved. Team Gamma would follow Titan and keep an eye on it. He was about to assemble the team when a top-priority message pressed itself onto his screens.

 _"Don't."_

Solomon froze, hand hovering over the order key.

His superior almost never communicated with him outside of that room. He never gave orders from afar; Solomon's only interaction with him was when they were _both there,_ in person. His superior never spoke over communicators and only ever messaged Solomon in an emergency. Solomon could count such occasions on one hand. Outside of that one room, Solomon's superior didn't exist.

Solomon clenched his outstretched hand into a fist. He pulled up a different holo-keyboard and typed. _"I think this is the best option."_

The message didn't even have identification. If anyone saw it, they would have no idea who Solomon was conversing with. Solomon didn't know why his superior insisted on remaining so ridiculously hidden. They were G3; everyone on this base was completely trustworthy to each other. They were the most secret and safe organization on the planet. No G3 member needed to hide from _other_ G3 members.

A reply came; _"Order: Don't."_

Solomon gave the two words a flat look. He wouldn't be surprised if his superior was watching him through the security feeds; in fact, he hoped he was.

Solomon looked over to the screen where his unsent order was. He kept his expression blank, in case his superior _was_ watching him. He was tempted to disobey and send the order. He didn't want to stand aside; G3 was in charge of alien involvement. So why weren't they getting _involved?_

Solomon sighed; he obeyed his superior, he was loyal to him. His superior had done miraculous things, and Solomon trusted him.

He deleted the order to Team Gamma.

Solomon leaned back in his chair a fraction of an inch. He obeyed his superior, but if superior kept giving orders like this, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. Solomon had left behind the alien power source in Lance's car, and now he was abandoning the chase on Titan. Not to mention Solomon wasn't allowed to capture Lance and Ilana in the months they had been on earth.

One day, Solomon might actually disobey the man's will. When would that be, Solomon wondered, and would it be the right thing to do? He supposed he had to get through this first.

"…Sir," an agent said softly, and Solomon turned to look at him. "It's been eleven minutes. Titan isn't out yet."

Of course. _Of course._ The _one_ spot Titan couldn't be seen, it just _had_ to stop.

"Any word from the industrial complex?" Solomon asked.

"Yes, sir," another agent spoke up. She had a hand lifted to her ear, listening to a call. She swiped her other hand on a screen and it played on speakers for everyone in the room to hear.

"—Titan is down, the monster is beating it up! It's brutal…Titan doesn't see damaged—yet—but the monster is just hitting it over and over and Titan isn't moving!"

What? Titan was _down?_

Solomon immediately turned back to the message screen of his superior. He knew his superior had to be listening in on this, too. He hastily typed a new message. _"Are you certain about this?"_

 _"Yes."_ The reply was almost instant; he probably had seen Solomon's question coming.

 _Why?_ Solomon wondered, but knew his superior would _never_ be willing to explain it unless they were in person.

"How did Titan and the monster end up in your complex?" the agent asked the man on phone calmly.

"After you told me to keep an eye out I went outside," the caller said nervously. "And all of a sudden, Titan and the monster came crashing down into the complex from high in the air. They fought each other but the creature has _six_ arms! And then it shot a blast—a blue-green blast that seems to have stunned Titan!"

 _Stunned_ Titan? What kind of weapon was that?

A huge crash came through the phone. A few G3 agents jumped at the loud sound.

"Sir?!" the agent called, alarmed, "Sir?! Are you injured? Can you hear me?!"

"Y-Yes," the man said, but he sounded distracted.

The agent picked up on it. "Sir, I need you to tell me what's happening."

"Titan seems to have recovered," the man said shakily. "It just kicked the monster. It's up now…and now it's got a shield and spear."

Solomon wished this man was more descriptive. He leaned forward, listening intently nonetheless.

"The creature is charging at Titan—Titan stabbed it with the spear!" a humming, distant crash, and a large explosion were caught by the phone. "The creature just blasted Titan with the blue-green ray!"

Solomon's fingers tensed on the chair for a moment. The tide of the battle was shifting in Titan's favor, but if Titan was stunned again, that might be the end of it.

"…Titan seems unharmed. It's still up! And it's striking at the creature!" The man gasped. "Titan just swung the creature off its feet with that spear!"

The man continued. The creature attacked with a train, but Titan blocked with its shield. Titan moved forward, striking again and again, slicing off the creature's arms. The creature charged in one final act of rage, but Titan sprung into the air and hurled its spear at the creature, striking it right through the face. The creature went limp, finally defeated, and it exploded.

The man over the call paused as the fight was over. He reported that Titan turned and flew off.

"…Thank you, sir," the agent said softly. She glanced at Solomon, and he waved his hand in consent so she began to dismiss. "Help will be there shortly."

Solomon tuned her out and turned to his hologram-screen, organizing the retrieval team for the body of the creature. He paused with his hand over the order, in part suspecting his superior to intervene yet again. But there was nothing, so Solomon ordered it.

OOO

Solomon did not bother to keep his footsteps soft as he climbed down the ladder. When he reached the floor, his hard landing made a small bang that echoed through the room.

"Sir," Solomon hissed. "I would like to ask why you refuse to involve."

A deep rasp. "Displeased, Solomon?"

Solomon was in an honest mood. "Yes."

"My orders did exactly what they were meant to do; the aliens still don't know we exist."

Solomon clenched his hands. " _Sir._ Titan was in danger. It is our greatest defense against these invading aliens."

"Titan was fine."

"Titan _ran,"_ Solomon snapped. "And it was weakened, and it was stunned, and we don't even know why or how. We are _relying_ on it to protect the earth and _yet—"_ Solomon took a step forward "—we don't even know why it's guarding us. We don't know what it is or where it's from or what it wants."

Titan was protecting humanity, but to what end? What did it have to benefit from defending an alien planet? Why was it here, what was its mission, why were all these monsters coming in the first place?

"We will learn when we _watch_ ," Solomon's superior's voice cut through his thoughts—and this time, the tone was threatening. "You will _watch_ them, Solomon. You may tell your spies to return to normal…they may watch, but they still must keep distance from the Lunises."

Solomon didn't budge for a moment, completely unsatisfied. He whirled around and headed towards the ladder. He had his gloved hand placed on the first bar when his superior called after him.

"Solomon." Another deep, difficult breath echoed in the room. "I need you to trust me. This won't go on forever. You just need to watch."

Solomon paused, but decided he was done with it for tonight. He climbed up the ladder and stalked back to his quarters.

Trust him. Solomon _did_ trust him. Solomon had always believed that the course of action his superior chose was the right one. But now, Solomon was conflicted, between his superior's course…and what _he_ thought was the right one.

"Sir!" An agent jogged down the hall and approached Solomon. Solomon stopped, wiping any conflict, tiredness, or confusion from his mind. He was the indifferent leader, as always.

The agent stopped before him. "Sir, a signal was just launched from the Lunis household and sent into space."

Solomon knotted his eyebrows in confused surprise. "Were we able to intercept it?"

"No, sir," the agent said softly. "It was…advanced. We were only able to detect it. Not even our planetary satellites were able to catch it." His agent straightened again. "Sir, there's something else. The last message sent from the aliens into space went through the portal." 'The portal' was swiftly becoming the G3 term for the rift that aliens were coming through. The mysterious point, high above earth, that the aliens appeared through. "This one did not."

Solomon tilted his head, pondering the situation. The only other message had been sent by the blood-red alien, the one that had come in on a ship. That had been sent by an enemy of Titan—so what did this message mean, if Lance and Ilana had sent it?

There was nothing G3 could do. The message was out, hurtling through space. G3 didn't even know what it said.

"Noted," Solomon gave a dismissive wave and turned away. "Continue with the retrieval process for the latest creature."

The agent nodded and Solomon left him. He would look into the remains of the creature in the morning.


	4. Episodes 7, 9, & 10

Episode Seven: Showdown at Sherman High

The aliens that came were truly marvels. Two with seemingly invincible armored suits, one that was made of pure fire, one dog-like robot with technology beyond G3's understanding…and many of these creatures were so _big._

The latest one was no exception. The monster was another mystery of life; for it had no true form. It was massive blob of liquid; no organs, bone structure, or core. Titan had battled the creature in the highways of Sherman, during a very crowded traffic jam. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the entire area was splattered with the unfamiliar black goop of the dead creature. Titan had somehow used radio waves that turned living black matter into _dead_ black matter.

Dead matter that now covered a fifth of the city. And it was G3's job to clean it all up.

Solomon oversaw this retrieval personally; these remains were particularly dangerous. For one thing, he didn't want anyone (especially Steel) to get their hands on it. Steel was thankfully far away at the moment, on a military mission outside the country. Solomon still kept an eye out for anyone Steel might have sent for him. He wouldn't allow a single drop of this alien to fall into Steel's hands.

But another important matter was that, for all they knew, the creature could still be alive. There was no pulse through it, no heartbeat, no way to tell the difference between living remains and dead remains besides the fact that none of it was moving.

His agents swarmed the streets that G3 had quarantined. They carried vacuum packs to suck up the black tar-like substance. They reached down through the cracks of the road and under the cars that were left behind to retrieve the matter. Despite the fact that the fight had been quick and there had been no causalities, there had still been damage to the city. His agents had to navigate the destruction carefully.

Solomon watched them, perched on a road above. He saw so many places where the tar-alien could have left itself behind. Hundreds of his agents were scouring for it, but Solomon was still clear. "Make sure you get every last bit of it."

Just then, the unmoving matter shook and rumbled. All of it slithered away from his agents. The packs his agents carried cracked open, and the tar they had gathered leapt out. More crept out from other places in the streets and it began to gather up, but rather than turn into the frog-like monster it had been before, the matter drew away and flowed all in one direction.

Solomon watched as the last of it climbed over an overturned road and vanished from view. He knew the direction it was going; Sherman High.

OOO

The monster had eaten Sherman High School. By the time G3 got there, news reporters were arriving as well. Solomon had to send some of his agents not in uniform (they were disguised as regular police officers to keep G3 hidden) to cut the public off from the school. It wasn't long, however, before panicked parents showed up as well. They were more difficult to keep away, but Solomon's agents managed.

The school looked like it had been iced over like a cake, or dipped in black paint. The monster had completely enveloped the building; no one could get through. No windows or doors were open.

"Are we in contact with anyone inside there?" Solomon asked one agent. He stared straight ahead at the covered walls of the school a few feet away from him. A few agents had already tried to break through; the black matter had grabbed them and thrown them away, spitting them out thankfully unharmed.

"Yes sir," the agent replied. "There are a handful of students who have called their parents, and our agents are interviewing them over the phone now."

Solomon turned around. "And?"

"They are unable to see anything that is going on outside," the agent reported. "Many students have found hiding places, but they say that smaller versions of the creature are wandering the school."

Solomon came to full alert and felt a flicker of fear-adrenaline pass through his heart. "What?" Was the monster attacking the students inside?

"The creatures aren't hurting anyone inside, sir," the agent said hurriedly. "They've grabbed a few students, but they throw them away immediately."

…It hit Solomon like a bolt of lightning; the creature was looking for Lance and Ilana. How did it know they were even in this school? However it had found out, it had locked down this spot. It wasn't letting anyone in or out, and was scouring the building for the two aliens, Lance and Ilana.

And it was not harming the humans.

What a revelation. Now that Solomon had so much evidence together, he began to see the bigger picture. None of the monsters that had come yet had explicitly gone after earthlings. The fire monster had attacked a city, but once Titan appeared it focused on that. The dog-robot had travelled from Egypt to America to pursue Titan. This monster had covered up this entire school to catch Lance and Ilana, who were behind Titan. All of the monsters had targeted Titan.

They were after _Titan._ Titan wasn't just the defender against the monsters; it was the _attraction._ The monsters just didn't seem to care what got in their way in their pursuit of the giant robot.

Why would they be after Titan? Was Titan actually protecting earth, or simply defending itself?

No. Solomon remembered how Titan had avoided landing on people while fighting the dog-robot. And it had endured a lightning bolt to protect a hospital. It _did_ care about humans.

Solomon put his hands in his pockets. He would think on this more, and ask his superior about it. But it was clear that Titan was the one who had brought all these monsters to earth.

He glanced side to side; his scientists were trying to examine the black matter on the walls. They tried to take samples, but the goop escaped even the tightest containers and returned itself to the school. There was no way to get through.

Well if the monster wasn't hurting any earthlings, Solomon wasn't overly concerned. Perhaps if it caught Lance and Ilana, the arrival of the destructive alien monsters would stop. Or perhaps not, in which case earth would lose its defender.

Solomon couldn't help in the first place. Lance and Ilana would have to defend themselves. For now, G3 would do nothing.

 _As usual,_ he thought with a little spite. But perhaps that wouldn't be the case for much longer, once he presented this new theory to his superior. Surely once his superior knew that Titan was the attractor of the monsters, he would agree to do _something._

"Reinforce the perimeter," Solomon ordered. He turned away from the school and began walking to the G3 vehicle. G3 couldn't come here on hovercrafts without attracting attention, so they had used hover-cars. They appeared as limousines, but were capable of flight.

He paused at the door of the car, hand holding it open. "Do not let anyone near the school, even if that creature lets it go. Contact me if there is _any change."_

Solomon entered the car and closed the door. He sat down and brought up a holo-screen. Inside the car, things were just as advanced as G3 HQ. He had access to the entire G3 database. From here, he could monitor the situation and examine the information that his agents were picking up back at the school.

In a few minutes, the limousine hummed as it reached the edge of the city and took flight. It wasn't strong enough to reach the high altitude of G3, but a fully powered hovercraft jet would pick them up.

G3 was intercepting every call that was made from the inside of the school. Solomon listened in on a few, wanting firsthand accounts of what was going on inside.

"I can't open the windows!"

"The monsters are grabbing people!"

"We're hiding in one of the classrooms, and we've blocked off the door."

"Mom, can you come get me? It's weird here. It's so weird."

The limousine bumped as it entered a G3 hovercraft. Once the car was securely on, Solomon opened the door and stepped onto the ship. He went to another sector of the jet and then continued to monitor the signals.

Solomon looked through the data and saw that there was one signal that G3 could detect, but not intercept. He looked into it; G3 scanners said that the signal was communicating within school. Someone in there had an advanced, masked signal, and they were communicating with other people in the school.

It had to be Lance and Ilana. Had the monsters caught them, or were they still on the run?

Solomon couldn't look into it further as all the reading became very strange. They all cut off for a moment, and then _all_ of them blazed to life. They began radiating the same signal, but there were no voices being carried; only a frequency.

"Sir!"

"Report," Solomon said immediately, lifting his com device. What was going on? What was happening to all these teenager's cell phones?

"Sir, the creature seems to be…evaporating," the agent's voice carried wonder. "It's all just vanishing, leaving nothing behind."

Hm. Well, that assured Solomon that it was completely dead this time. He glanced at the readings from the school. Titan had used radio waves to knock the creature out before. Lance and Ilana must have figured out a better wave to use this time, but not had a strong enough signal without Titan. In which case, they had used their classmate's phones.

Solomon slowly exhaled. So they had triumphed after all, even without being able to call Titan to defend them. Titan, both defender and attractor, still was free and alive, as were the aliens behind it.

"Scan the school for any sign of residue," Solomon ordered. "Then return to base."

Solomon turned off the com and glanced out the window. G3 HQ was in sight, its massive form hidden in clouds. The hovercraft was asking for permission to dock.

As soon as they landed, Solomon went to visit his superior. He climbed down the ladder and turned to the dark spot when his superior normally sat.

Surely this had gone on enough. His superior wanted to watch and learn about the aliens, and Solomon had learned something. Once he told his superior, his superior would finally allow action.

"Sir," Solomon addressed. "I believe I have found valuable information on the aliens."

There was a pause as his superior gathered the breath to speak with. "Oh, Solomon?"

"I believe the monsters are here because of them," Solomon explained. "The latest monster targeted the Lunises, and the Lunises only. Monsters in the past have gone after Titan, too."

He heard his superior's breathing; nothing more.

"…Sir," Solomon pressed. "We now know that Titan has been attracting these monsters. We have to act."

"No."

Solomon was stunned into silence. He'd done as his superior said and watched them, and yet the man still didn't want to do anything? They had learned what the monsters had come for; Titan. Shouldn't G3 inspect Titan, finally, and get some real answers?

"Sir, I don't believe—"

"Watch them, Solomon. Nothing more." Solomon heard a particularly labored breath. " _Nothing_ more."

Episode Eight: Shadows of Youth

 **This episode is a flashback, so nothing for this one!**

Episode Nine: Tashy 497

Solomon had his fists on his hips.

"G3 has jurisdiction over all alien involvement," he argued. "There is alien material there. You cannot stop us from going in, 'military quarantine' or not."

"General Steel has ordered that _no one_ may enter the premises."

" _I_ countermand the orders."

"No, sir."

Solomon stared at the imbecile in frustration. No, he supposed he couldn't blame this soldier for merely following orders. It was Steel's fault for making everything complicated. Solomon had thought he was done with the general, but apparently not.

Less than an hour ago, an alien ship, a _huge_ ship had entered earth's atmosphere. Solomon had been shocked when he saw it on G3 scanners. It was over twenty times the size of Titan. Forget monsters, if this thing broke earth's atmosphere, the impact would kill millions.

Titan had come, however, and torn the ship to bits. Those 'bits' (for they were still quite huge) had scattered like litter over the fields outside Sherman. It was G3's job, as always, to clean it up; but General Steel had gotten there first, and locked off the area. When G3 tried to move in, soldiers had refused to let them pass. One US soldier had _shot_ at them, though thankfully missed. Still, it made the whole situation a lot more tense.

Solomon's agents were too smart to retaliate, and Solomon was grateful for that. If an American soldier was killed, people would want to know how, which would lead them to G3. Cover stories could be made, but also uncovered. Better for there to be no story at all. Nothing that would attract unwanted attention. Not to mention, if G3 were to harm an American soldier, it would damage G3's relation with the government.

Solomon hadn't planned to go for this retrieval; he'd meant to leave it to his agents. But due to this mess, he was getting ready to fly down there and hash out this situation himself. Still, while waiting for Team Beta to prepare for departure, he would argue from afar all he could.

"I demand to see your superior," Solomon glared at the screen of the soldier.

"General Steel is unavailable at the moment." The soldier's tone was that of a phone operator who was dealing with a particularly annoying customer. It irked Solomon. His patience was wearing thin.

"Isn't he on-site? G3 has authority over these matters! Give me communication to him!"

"No, sir."

Solomon hissed. "The military cannot interact with alien material. G3 has rights to all of it. Anything you take from that field belongs to us, and we _will_ get it back." It was a threat and a promise.

G3 had good lawyers and knew what strings to pull. They would get the metal back, eventually, but there was always the chance Steel might cause another fiasco first. The general apparently hadn't learned from the disaster with the alien hurricane he had created.

Solomon's com dinged a high-priority message. He glanced at it and froze; his superior had summoned him.

His superior rarely did anything outside of that room, so when he did, Solomon obeyed. He was frustrated that his superior had to choose _now_ to have chat, right in the middle of this predicament. But perhaps his superior had an idea of how to sort this out. Solomon would welcome the help.

Still, he glared at the soldier who had annoyed him so.

"We're not done yet," Solomon growled, and shut off the com. He knew he was showing his rage too much. He was normally calm in all situations, but he had thought Steel had finally learned his lesson. To be bothered by an old, pointless, should-be-solved problem got on his nerves.

"Hold Team Beta," Solomon ordered. "I will be back momentarily, and then we will depart." With that he whirled and stormed down the corridors of G3 base.

He didn't bother with the ladder. He merely leapt down the hole and landed on his feet. He glanced up at the darkness.

"Sir," he said, his frustration lacing his voice even in such a short, single word.

"…You let your emotions get the better of you, Solomon."

He was right, and Solomon knew it. He should be better than this. Solomon deeply breathed in, then out. "Yes, sir." He didn't try to hide it. He had bottled up his anger of how he wasn't allowed to capture Lance and Ilana, and Steel's latest mischief was the straw that broke the camel's back.

His superior merely breathed for what seemed like a long time. Solomon resisted the urge to tap his foot. He wanted to get to the field swiftly, before Steel could gather much of the alien ship parts.

"…You need to let this go, Solomon."

Solomon took another deep breath, forcing himself to be calm as a fresh wave of annoyance washed over him. Had his superior called him all this way merely to lecture him on his feelings?

"I will control my emotions, sir." He struggled to keep his voice steady, and failed.

"That…and this."

Solomon creased his forehead in confusion. "'This,' sir?"

"Steel," his superior said. "He is gathering the alien material. You need to let it go."

Solomon mouth opened a smidge as he gaped. "What?!"

"You have to let Steel have the material."

"No!" Solomon burst out. "Steel has already caused destruction and chaos with his careless treatment of alien material! G3 has jurisdiction over this, Steel is not allowed to be anywhere near those ship parts, much less _have_ it!"

Silence.

…So much for being able to control his emotions. Solomon was struggling with that today, and he berated himself for his own outburst. He kept himself perfectly still, waiting for his superior's response…and judgement.

It was a long, long time.

"Julius Steel wishes to be the strongest," his superior finally said. "He is a man who only trusts himself, and wishes to be the best and most powerful. He despises the idea of anyone who is stronger than him and his forces. Thus, he hates Titan and the other aliens, for they are. They make him feel…weak."

Solomon swallowed, wondering where this examination of character was going.

"Steel wishes to defeat the aliens, whether they are allies or not, because they are stronger than him. In his view, anything stronger than him is an enemy. He believes that this metal will help him gain strength. And he won't let go of it easily."

Solomon stared at his superior. What did any of this matter? Steel was an annoying obstacle, but none of G3's concern. Solomon had considered Steel's motives and character before, but not to this depth.

"That doesn't matter," Solomon said when he was sure his superior wanted him to speak. "G3 _is_ stronger and has jurisdiction; we will get the metal back, whether Steel likes it or not."

"He will not allow that quietly."

"He can try all he wants; we'll still get the metal."

" _No._ He will not be _quiet."_

Solomon realized his superior's point. Steel was required by law to not breathe a word to anyone about G3, but Steel had already broken rules like that. Even now he broke the rule that he wasn't supposed to involve in alien matters. Steel had proven that he was not afraid to break the law—he considered himself above it.

If G3 took this metal, Steel would be furious. He would demand it back, and make a media circus out of it. G3 would be dragged into the spotlight of the world, made public for everyone to see. The aliens would become aware of G3. The huge lengths Solomon, his superior, and every G3 agent went to in order to stay hidden would all be gone when Steel opened his mouth.

Solomon wasn't willing to let it go so easily, however. "Steel is dangerous. We cannot allow him to have this material."

"And we cannot be brought into the light."

"He is _breaking_ the contracts!" Solomon kept his voice at the same volume, but he allowed the intensity and firmness to enter in. "I am willing to come out of hiding to prevent another disaster like the storm."

" _I_ am not."

Solomon knew his superior's will trumped his own. He wanted to argue more, but there was no point. This was final. Steel was getting the metal, not G3. Who knew what the trigger-happy general would do with it.

Solomon whirled around and jumped out of the room. He turned back and headed for his quarters.

A few steps out he lifted his com device. "At ease, Team Beta. We're not leaving today. Call back the retrieval teams."

Solomon would obey this order—but this was it. He was tired of being without answers. He wanted them _now._

OOO

The next morning the two aliens, the purple and gold robots who were really Lance and Ilana, made an appearance on a highway. They had flown around the streets for a bit, causing a few crashes, saving a few people from those crashes, and then they flew away.

A few hours later, Titan left the planet earth.

Solomon had been panicked when he read that report—was he too late? Was earth's protector abandoning them? He monitored Titan in the control room through the other G3 space station satellites. There were many space stations throughout the system; so far, there were permanent stations on Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and the farthest one was on Saturn. From the information that they sent back to earth, he could see images of what was happening with Titan.

Titan's form had changed—he assumed to adapt to the space travel. Two huge wings came from its back, it helmet closed in, and its legs became bulkier to have bigger rockets and fly faster. Solomon could not help but be fascinated with how the robot changed and adapted.

Titan left the system and Solomon was almost certain by that point that Titan was leaving humanity—but then it stopped. Solomon barely had any view of it; it was floating at the edge of the telescope's reach. Titan wasn't a huge star or planet, as these satellites were meant to observe. It hardly appeared on the screen.

His view was obscured by a white flash.

"Did something happen to the telescope?" Solomon demanded his nearest agent.

"No, sir," the agent said, voice puzzled. "That _is_ the image."

A scientist stepped forward and looked at the projection. "It's an explosion of some kind," the scientist said.

Why would Titan fly all the way out there to blow something up? Was there a monster all that distance away? Wouldn't G3 have seen it? Did Titan actually have that destructive power?

"Sir, I might have something to explain this," an agent stepped up. Solomon turned to him as the agent stood straight at attention. "I was on the last retrieval team." …The retrieval team that hadn't retrieved anything. Solomon wondered what this agent thought about that. "There was one part of the crashed ship that appeared to be a warhead."

Warhead? An explosion? So that ship was sent to blow something up?

…No. As Solomon looked back at the image of the explosion, he realized a force of that size and power would have destroyed all _earth. Nothing_ would have survived it.

…He pondered this for even a few hours later. Whatever sent these monsters was willing—and _able_ —to destroy the earth. It did not care for humanity at all, and was perfectly willing to destroy them all. Titan was their only defender. But Solomon wasn't satisfied with the information he had on it.

Solomon needed answers.

Ten: Lessons in Love

Lance and Ilana had gone to an observatory three weeks after the warhead's explosion. They pointed out the cosmic formation caused by the warhead's explosion to a human astronomer. As they had 'found' (made) it, they got to name it. They called it "Tashy497."

Solomon wondered what that meant on their planet. Had they seen these formations before, or had they actually made up a name? The formation was beautiful, purple-pink and green in color, and as it was so far away Solomon could appreciate its beauty rather than wonder if it was a threat.

Titan, however, could be a threat. And now, secret from his superior, Solomon was planning for when he would finally capture Lance and Ilana Lunis.


	5. Episode 11

Eleven: Fortress of Deception

Titan had defeated yet another monster only a few days ago. This one resembled a manta ray and had the ability to cut off electricity. It had been an easy victory for the robot.

So now was the time to move; Solomon didn't want to have to release Lance and Ilana because of a monster attack. The creatures arrived every few weeks; so he had time before the next one. That was good; he didn't know how long he'd need to keep the aliens prisoner. However long it took to get answers, which could take hours, days, or maybe even weeks.

His spies were closer than ever. Most of the time the G3 spies got their information by hacking and viewing public information about the Lunises—not anymore. There were agents directly outside the school, waiting for when Lance and Ilana went home.

Solomon watched everything through cameras; Ilana carried ten or so books home with her. Lance carried nothing and offered her no help. They got into a car and began the drive home.

An agent filmed them from two cars behind. It began to rain. Once Lance and Ilana were home, cameras were already set up across the street to watch them.

Time passed; G3 would strike at night once Lance and Ilana were asleep. For now, though, G3 merely watched until that point. Nothing important happened. Ilana was so wet she slipped and dropped all her books.

Ilana and Lance went to different rooms of the house and were no longer visible from the front cameras. An agent snuck to the backyard to get a look.

…And saw someone else within the home.

The agent called Solomon up immediately. "Sir, there appears to be a third target."

A _third?_ Why hadn't Solomon known this until now? He clenched a fist in frustration; his spies had been too far away to realize it. He could have known about this third alien _months_ ago if his superior had allowed him to move.

Solomon was moving now. This was it. This was the day Solomon finally caught them. …Finally disobeyed his superior's orders.

He wasn't letting any alien, any information, slip through his fingers. "Take them all."

"Yes, sir."

Many hours passed. It was a stakeout. Solomon's com device alerted him to a top-priority message; he ignored it. His superior knew everything G3 did, and had seen by now Solomon's actions. The messages were probably orders to stop. But Solomon didn't even look at them; he didn't want to face his superior yet.

It happened a few more times, but Solomon continued to refuse to even look at them. Eventually they stopped.

Solomon watched everything, every minute, from a hover-limousine parked a block away from the home. The rain stopped by nightfall, and the last light on the upper floor, Ilana's bedroom, turned off at 11:26 PM. Solomon waited, counting the seconds.

At 12:16 AM, he gave the order to move. Over coms, his agents instructed each other; "We're neutralized the monitoring system coming from Bedroom: B. You're clear to go at Entry Point: 1."

Solomon watched his agents approach the home. They moved in sync, and their dark red clothes blended well into the night. They looked like shadows, closing in on the house.

They did not bother breaking through the door. A laser slightly cut through the lock, without even a click. The door creaked slightly on opening, but there was no other sound.

His agents entered from both the back and front of the house. Their feet made no noise as dozens of them climbed up the stairs. They were indistinguishable from their own shadows. Slowly they took positions outside each bedroom door. Their guns were up and ready.

The blasters of G3 were not filled with bullets—the metallic rays that they shot were an invention of Solomon's superior, and one of the most useful weapons G3 had. The rays would bind the person who was shot. Metal bands would adapt to weave around whoever they landed on, and could be set for multiple purposes. One purpose would magnetically attract the bonds to each other. If shot at either wrists, they would work as handcuffs. Another setting drugged the victim—anyone shot would be almost instantly knocked out.

That was the setting the blasters were on now—drug. The targets would be knocked out and immediately transported. Solomon's hover-limousine began to move, preparing to pick the agents up the moment they had the targets.

Once each door was surrounded, there was a pause among the agents. Right now, their presence in the home was unknown to the aliens. But in the next moment, it would not be.

The agents kicked down Ilana's bedroom door. Two of them burst in and took aim.

 _"Lance!"_ Ilana cried out. The agents shot, the blasters beaming out green rays. Ilana lifted her hand to shield herself and a blaster caught her wrist, wrapping around her slim hand. But she moved quickly, dodging the second blast which broke a vase.

Ilana leapt out of bed and the agents turned their guns, shooting three blasts after her. All three hit her this time, binding her arms and mouth.

The agents attacking Lance's room were only seconds behind, but it was enough for Ilana to call out. They broke down the door, only to find that his room was empty.

Solomon, still watching through his agents' cameras, was just as confused as his agents probably were. Then Lance dropped down from above the door and struck out.

Lance grabbed two agent's blasters and wrenched them out of their hands. A blast uselessly hit the ground as the guns clattered to the floor. Lance shoved the two agents back into the hall and onto the others. Then he jumped forward and kicked them down, entering the crowd of agents. The agents struggled to get aim in the cramped hallway as Lance began taking them out. A few of them made punches, but Lance blocked and shoved their hands aside.

Solomon noted Lance's fighting style, sizing up this enemy. The style wasn't any martial arts Solomon knew on earth…except one. One the alien _shouldn't_ know.

An agent that had been taken down reached for his blaster and took aim. Lance had forgotten about him and was caught off guard when he was finally shot. He flinched back, hand binded, and the G3 agents took advantage of the pause to shoot two more.

Solomon had been watching Lance and Ilana's capture; not paying attention to the attack on the third target that was going on simultaneously.

He turned to it now, only to see six agents struggling to hold down a large man. The man jumped into the hallway and threw them all off. The other agents turned and lifted their blasters, but the cameras suddenly blurred. _All_ agent-cams in the hallways had been blurred. The third target had taken all those agents out.

Solomon shifted his gaze to the other agent cameras, the ones of the agents on the first floor of the house. The large man was now at the opposite end of the hall, agents thrown to the ground behind him.

This third alien was proving a problem, but Lance and Ilana were just being carried outside. Soon, G3 would have them in custody.

The third target was suddenly on the doorstep—he was _fast._ He plowed through Solomon's agents before they had a chance to attack.

His agents were no match for him, Solomon realized. He had to do something; now. Solomon turned away from the screens and opened the door of the hover-car. Now he was here, on the scene, in the action.

"I'll take him." He agents immediately stepped aside, out of his way.

Solomon leapt into the air, several feet higher than what was humanly possible. He came down on the third target from above as the man tossed aside two agents. Solomon spun for a powerful kick but the man dodged easily. Solomon landed firmly and spun to kick again, aiming for the man's face. But the man dodged again.

Solomon struck faster, managing to get a series of three punches on his face and his chest.

…It was like hitting a wall. The man didn't even blink, didn't flinch back an inch.

Solomon took a step back, sizing up and calculating this strange enemy. But the man didn't wait. He stepped forward and lifted a huge arm to smash Solomon.

Solomon moved out of the way in the last second as the fist that had almost hit him smashed into the ground.

This was going nowhere—G3 wasn't prepared for this third target. Cursing his superior for leaving them weak, Solomon made a decision; leave this one behind and take what he could.

"Get them out of here!" Solomon ordered, reaching into his coat for his own ray-gun. As his agents carrying Lance and Ilana boarded the hover-car, the third target advanced after them.

Solomon shot his blaster at the man. It was an electric ray, similar to a Taser. This would injure a normal person; he wasn't sure what it would do to this strange alien.

The third target took the full brunt of the beam and froze, facing scrounging up in pain. And then he… _flickered._

Solomon got a glimpse of something blue and purple. It had no face, not even a head besides a shape sticking out where one might be. A single yellow orb, possibly an eye, was in the center of its chest.

Solomon lowered the blaster, shocked for a moment and raising an eyebrow in curiosity. The thing was transparently blue and wires were visibly inside it. Its body was made up of that strange material G3 had found in Lance's car. The thing didn't seem organic—a robot?

No time—the ray beam wouldn't stun it forever. Solomon turned and darted to the car with Lance and Ilana inside. Taking one last look at the robot before the door closed, the four limousines in the front of the house charged off in separate directions.

There were more in the back—those ones would retrieve whoever had been injured inside the house. G3 left nothing behind to show they had ever been there. But would the robot attack those agents who were still down? Solomon glanced at a nearby status screen and his mind eased. That team had already gotten everyone during the fight going on in the front yard. They had already left, and were heading back to rendezvous at the base.

Solomon watched as his agents slowly lowered Lance and Ilana to the medical beds in the limousine. Here they were—finally. The first two aliens that had appeared on earth, that had been hiding out here for so long were now in G3 custody. Solomon forgot about the robot for a moment as he leaned forward to watch them. The agents were unwrapping the binders, but Lance and Ilana were still thoroughly drugged.

They were the first two living aliens G3 had ever caught. Not another mindless monster corpse…living, breathing, intelligent, speaking aliens. What secrets would they tell?

…Solomon's superior would be furious at him for this. There had been no alerts from his com for some time; Solomon still hadn't looked at the first ones, and he didn't plan to until he had at least some answers. When he got them, his superior would be pleased enough to let this slide. At least, Solomon hoped so.

Lances eyes creaked open. Solomon froze; the male alien didn't seem to be fully aware. The G3 agents hadn't noticed; they were monitoring Lance and Ilana's vitals.

Lance turned his head to the side to look across to Ilana. She was completely asleep; she looked peaceful. Lance turned his head back, blinking hazily. His gaze was in Solomon's direction but didn't seem to be able to focus. Solomon watched as Lance blinked slowly and then slowly again, and then finally the drugs dragged him back under.

The hover-car was speeding down the road, puddles of water sprayed and splashed as the limo shot through them. One agent who watched a monitor turned to Solomon.

"Sir, it's on our tail."

Solomon looked out the back window and saw the robot, back in its hologram disguise of a man. The robot could not see Solomon through the one-way glass, but Solomon saw its hologram-eyes were narrowed in furious determination. It was getting closer, gaining on them.

"Counter measures!" Solomon ordered.

An agent pressed the controls and the back of the limousine began flashing bright lights. The robot flinches back, shielding itself with its arm.

The limousine hummed, its hover-engines warming up. It made a sharp turn and then blasted off. Solomon saw the robot run straight forward, into a building and out of sight. As they gained altitude, soon they were gone.

G3 had escaped, with two prisoners in tow.

Now it was time to learn everything Lance and Ilana knew.

OOO

Solomon was with Lance and Ilana the whole way to their cells. His scientists examined them briefly, and reported nothing was wrong. Both of them were normal humans—except for one thing.

Their watches. The watches matched no watch model on earth. And the scientists couldn't recognize the material they were made of.

This was alien technology, then. Solomon had the watches carefully removed, and stowed away in a lab for study. He would get a report on it later. For now, his focus was on the first two living aliens G3 had ever caught.

Solomon had sculpted an elaborate plan to get information. Lance was a stubborn, strong, fighter that would kick and punch and bite no matter what they did to him. Solomon knew this from his spies' reports on his behavior, and how he had fought them during the capture. Ilana, however, was gentle and kind. She was far more reasonable…and easier to be manipulated.

Obviously neither of them would trust any G3 member. All they knew of G3 was that the agents had captured them, so anyone they saw as part of it would be seen as an enemy.

But in an unfamiliar and desperate situation, they would reach out for allies who knew what was going on. And any enemy of G3 would be seen as a potential ally.

Of course, Lance and Ilana would receive no real help here. They were deep within the base, and the base was secure from any outsiders. There was nobody here, besides Lance and Ilana, who wasn't a part of G3.

But they would _think_ they had help. An agent would be in disguise and pretend to be a failed member, thus an enemy of G3 and an ally to the aliens. Solomon was handling this mission personally. He wanted to be there, to ask the questions and hear the answers firsthand.

Of course, that meant he had to prepare orders for his agents now, since he wouldn't be able to give orders from within the prison. He was very specific and his agents followed him without question—he appreciated their loyalty. They understood what he wanted and followed him precisely.

…He felt a twinge of guilt at that thought and glanced down at his communicator. Still no new high-priority messages, besides the ones he refused to look at. He had thought once he returned to base his superior would start pushing again, but the man was silent as ever. Solomon was unnerved by it, and tempted to go see him. But no. Not yet.

Solomon dressed himself into a prisoner uniform and waited outside the cells, four agents at his sides. Lance and Ilana were being watched, of course, and Solomon saw immediately when the drugs wore off and they awoke.

Ilana woke first, groaning and rubbing her head. She sat up and looked around at the G3 cells; metallic glass walls separated each cell, and rather than bars, the cells were locked with electronic walls.

Ilana turned her head side to side before reaching for her own wrist, where her watch had been. She gasped when she found it not there, and Solomon was glad he had removed the watches. Why were they so important, he wondered?

Lance moaned next and sat up too, also rubbing his head. Ilana called to him worriedly. "I'm okay," he said. "Are you?"

"Yes," Ilana whispered, getting up and heading towards him. She placed a hand on the green glass wall separating them, her face reflected on the stainless surface. "Lance, what's going on? Who are they? What do they want with us?" She glanced towards the door, her eyes looking for anyone who might give her answers.

"And where's Octus?" Lance added.

 _Octus?_ Solomon thought. Was that the robot? It made sense for Lance and Ilana to wonder if G3 had captured their robot as well. Unfortunately the thing was still free, and, according to spies, it hadn't returned to the house.

G3 scientists had detected some kind of signals, perhaps homing devices, radiating from the watches. But they had neutralized it immediately. The robot wouldn't be finding them.

Lance looked down at his wrist. "They took our communicators, too."

Was that all the watches were? Basically cell phones? Either way, it was good for the watches to be separate from the aliens now.

Lance approached the electronic wall. He looked it up and down, then reached out and tapped it. The wall hummed softly at his contact. Lance pounded a fist against it, and the wall hissed, but didn't budge.

"Go now," Solomon ordered two of his agents. He had wanted to give Lance and Ilana some time to gather themselves—that time was up.

The two agents opened the door and entered the room. Ilana watched them warily and Lance narrowed his eyes. He stepped back as they stopped by his cell and watched as one agent put a hand on the electronic wall. The wall scanned the agent's glove, humming as it loaded. Lance lifted his fists, but the moment the wall opened, the second agent shot twice.

The blasters were now in handcuff mode. Two bands were shot onto Lance's wrists, and after beeping confirmation, they locked together.

An agent gestured his blaster for Lance to follow. Lance narrowed his eyes, but obediently stepped forward without saying anything. That was somewhat of a surprise to Solomon.

"Lance!" Ilana called as the agents began to lead him out of the room.

Lance stopped just before the door and glanced back at her. "Don't worry; I won't be long." Ah, so the alien thought he could use this opportunity to escape. But Solomon's men were well-trained, this base was secure, and there was no escape from this place.

An agent jabbed Lance gently in the back with a blaster and Lance moved forward.

Solomon and his two other agents hid in the shadows, watching Lance and his escorts pass them. Once they were gone, Solomon glanced back down at the security screen.

Ilana was alone now. She lifted her arms, holding herself, tension and unease written all over her body.

"It's time," Solomon said. He stepped in front of the door; the cells were on the other side. His agents grabbed his arms and he went limp. The door opened, and the agents dragged him into the cells.

He didn't look up, but he heard Ilana gasp when the door opened. His agents pulled him to a cell and roughly shoved him in—that was a minor touch. The shove was supposed to show, with certainty, that Solomon, or 'Kane,' wasn't a friend of G3.

Solomon stayed limp as his agents locked him in the cell, and didn't move until he heard them leave. He felt Ilana watching him, but he didn't look at her. He coughed as if he was injured—meant to be a slight suggestion to Ilana of what would be done to Lance.

Solomon didn't want to harm the aliens, but he was willing to in order to get answers. If Lance complied, he wouldn't be hurt. If he refused…he would be.

Lance would be tortured if he refused to talk. It was dark, not pretty, not moral, not fair, but G3 needed answers. This was for the safety of the earth. There was no guarantee that Lance and Ilana's planet would show care for other living creatures either. If they were a threat, G3 _would_ torture the information out of them. It was to protect humanity.

Solomon did nothing for a few moments before he coughed again, and began to get up on the bench. He didn't address Ilana—he wanted _her_ to be the one to reach out. She needed to have some semblance of control to gain confidence in this dangerous and likely terrifying situation. If Solomon spoke first, she might draw back into herself and become defensive. Of course, if she didn't speak, he'd say something eventually.

She did speak to him, however. "Are…" she paused, as if considering whether or not she should be talking to him. "Are you okay?"

Solomon leaned back against the wall and finally looked at her. She was still tense and afraid, but she watched him with concern. "...Yeah."

She held his gaze for a moment before looking away. He closed his eyes, as if slightly in pain still. He sensed her gaze come back to him.

He waited a few more moments. She said nothing, so he did. "Worried about your friend?" he asked without opening his eyes.

This was to show he had been here longer than they had. He had come in after Lance had been taken out, so by saying this, Ilana knew he had been here at least before they had woken up.

She said nothing still, so Solomon continued. "He might get roughed up little, but…he'll be okay." Offering reassurance. It was more attempts for trust.

Ilana blinked at him, and he could see her pondering yet again whether or not she should speak to him. He waited, not wanting to press her and cause her to retreat.

She decided to speak. "What is this place?"

Excellent. This was an opener to a conversation, and she was trusting him to have this information _and_ to give it to her. Which he would. The more information he gave her, the more he helped her, the more confidence she had in him. "G3."

"G-three?" she repeated skeptically. "What's that?"

Solomon stood and began stretching, swiftly considering how much to tell her. "Galactic Guardian Group," he answered casually. "Not surprised you haven't heard of them. They keep under the radar."

He stopped stretching and turned to her, holding out a hand as he explained. "They're a non-governmental security agency whose goal is to protect earth from intergalactic enemies."

They were a lot more than that, but that's all Ilana needed to know.

She looked away, slight guilt crossing her face before she asked softly "What would they want with us?" Of course she would continue to try to deny it.

Solomon thumped back down on his bench, leaning back against the wall. "Well I know why I'm here," he said, filling his tone with a mix of exasperation and tiredness. "So you must be an alien, or…someone made a _huge_ mistake."

Solomon knew she was an alien—G3 had footage of her turning into her golden robotic form (which, if she did so now, Solomon also had his agents fully prepared to subdue her. The same was the case for Lance). The point was for _her_ to think _Kane_ didn't _know_ she was an alien, and was open to the idea that she was not. She would feel safer if she thought her secret identity was hidden.

Time for introductions. "Name's Kane." He coughed a little.

"Ilana," she said immediately. He was glad she was willing to give her real name—or, earth name, if she had taken on a different one when she first came to this planet.

Just then, the door exploded. There was a racket outside, and Solomon leapt to his feet. What on _earth?!_

Had the robot somehow managed to find Lance and Ilana? Was there some kind of malfunction? Had Lance taken his robotic form?

"Oh," he heard Ilana say from across the room. "And here's Lance."

An agent was sent flying down the prison hall, landed on the other side of the room, and fell to the ground, knocked out. Shots of green light came through the prison, taking out any agents that might have been in here. They stopped, and then Lance charged into the room.

He had stolen a G3 uniform, Solomon saw. And a G3 blaster which he held comfortably in his hands. But he cheek was swollen and he had a black eye—so he had been interrogated before he had—apparently—escaped.

Ilana gasped when she saw his injuries.

Lance was quick to reassure her. "I'm all right." He turned his gaze to the electro wall and his grip tightened on the blaster. "Stand back;" he instructed, and then he shot the control panel. The wall broke and faded away, and Ilana stepped out, released.

She lifted a hand to Lance's bruise. "Are you sure you're okay?" He did look rough, but he was healing remarkably fast. Perhaps it was an alien ability.

He turned away from her hand. "Let's go," he said, ignoring her question. "We gotta move."

Solomon coughed loudly, discreetly trying to bring Ilana's attention back to him.

It worked. "Wait!" she called after Lance. "What about him?"

Lance stomped back, clearly annoyed. "Who?"

"Kane," Ilana said, not taking her eyes off Solomon.

Solomon stood at the edge of the cell, right at the wall. Lance hadn't transformed, so his agents hadn't used the superweapons prepared to fight that form. The normal agents that had tried to subdue him apparently hadn't been enough.

Solomon wondered why Lance and Ilana hadn't taken their more powerful, weaponized, robot forms? Perhaps they were more determined to keep their alien identities secret than Solomon had anticipated.

But there was an opportunity here. When they knew they were being watched, Lance and Ilana would be more careful with information. If they thought they were free, there was more of a chance of answers. And why wouldn't they trust the person who seemed to be helping them escape? Solomon, as Kane, could easily play that role.

There was no way Lance and Ilana could get out on their own—they were thousands of feet up in the air, and all G3 ships required authorized access. Solomon could lead them in circles around the base all he wanted, and quiz them on their story.

It was a risk to let them leave this prison block. Even though Solomon was confident they couldn't escape this base, he didn't want to underestimate them. He hadn't thought Lance could escape his agents, but the male alien was here now, free, with a stolen G3 blaster.

Solomon hadn't planned for this situation. But where there is failure, there is also opportunity. Lance and Ilana were tight-lipped about their true identities as aliens. But if they thought they were free, they might let something slip.

"He knows about this place," Ilana continued. Solomon was pleased he was making such progress with Ilana's trust—she was too innocent. She trusted too easily.

Lance still needed more incentive to let Kane come along. Solomon could see it in the alien's spitefully suspicious gaze. If Lance and Ilana wanted these 'com devices'… "I know where your stuff is."

That did the trick. Lance still looked reluctant, but he consented. "Fine. One false move; and you're done."

"Lance," Ilana said softly, tone colored with disappointment.

Solomon filed that threat away in his mind. If these two were somehow in control of Titan or otherwise involved with it, he _wanted_ them as allies. But with that threat, perhaps they wouldn't be the kind of allies earth wanted around.

Lance didn't respond to Ilana as he shot the electro wall down. Solomon didn't flinch and kept his face indifferent as he stepped out and walked towards the door.

"This way," he instructed, and began to jog down the halls.

He paused a millisecond when he found bodies directly outside. His eyes swiftly scanned them over and saw they were all breathing. Also notable; Lance did not kill any of them, but he had brutally beaten them up.

It showed Lance was capable of defeating Solomon's well-trained agents. The male alien was not to be underestimated.

He didn't want Lance and Ilana to see his hesitation. He jumped over the bodies and continued down the hall. He thought he might have heard Ilana gasp, but when he glanced back she was behind him, trying to catch up. Her face was conflicted—grim. Lance was stoic.

Alarms started going off through G3. Solomon was glad his agents were smart enough not to come, attack, and try to recapture Lance and Ilana. The agents had to have noticed Solomon was up to something, even if they didn't know what. In which case, they weren't going to ruin it. If Solomon really needed them, they would come immediately at his call.

Now, where to lead Lance and Ilana…the display room. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of Titan and the alien monsters. And a reasonable place to question them on such matters without seeming suspicious.

Solomon couldn't just keep running through the open halls, though. Lance and Ilana would wonder why no one was in their way. They had passed a few agents but it was obvious to Solomon that his agents were avoiding getting in his path. He had to appear as if they were sneaking around.

He turned a corner, heading for an air vent. Lance and Ilana slowed down a little, purposely allowing him to get ahead. He thought he heard them whisper to each other but he couldn't hear over their footsteps. It was a short exchange, but Solomon would have given much to have been able to eavesdrop. Once he was back in control of G3, he would check the security records and see.

He jogged ahead through the grey corridors, green windows providing dim light. The windows didn't show the outside world, however; Lance and Ilana still had yet to find out where this base was. That it was an airship, hidden in the upper atmosphere of earth.

Solomon reached the vent he wanted and jumped up high to open it. He climbed inside and turned around; Lance and Ilana had fallen further behind and lost sight of him. Not wanting to shout out suspiciously to them, he wanted until they were underneath.

"Hey!" he called, and they looked up. "Up here!"

Ilana smiled. Lance frowned…more.

Lance provided a boast to Ilana, using his hands as a step up. Solomon offered his hand and helped her up into the vent. She climbed past him as Lance jumped up to reach them. Solomon again offered his hand, but Lance ignored it.

Well. He still had yet to earn Lance's trust.

Solomon led the way, all of them crawling on their hands and knees through the air vents. He went straight at one intersection, and turned left at another.

"How do you know so much about this place?" Ilana piped up. Her tone was suspicious.

Solomon didn't want to lose her trust when Lance so obviously didn't like him. He already had a cover story prepared when he first took the alias Kane.

"I guess I should have told you," he said over his shoulder. "I used to work here."

"What?!" Lance's voice was outraged.

Solomon hoped his cover story wouldn't lose him too much progress. There wasn't a better lie that made sense. How else would someone know so much without being at _some point_ part of G3? He was hoping they would focus on the lie that he wasn't part of it _now._

Solomon reached the end of the vent; perfect. He'd rather not talk about the fake backstory of Kane. It would be better for the conversation topics to be about aliens, Lance and Ilana, or Titan. And this was the place to bring up such subjects.

Stalling for time as he pushed the vent open, he said "I used to be part of G3, but things…didn't work out."

He stood up, out of the cramped vents, and Lance and Ilana straightened also.

"What do you mean it didn't 'work out'?" Lance demanded.

Solomon casually and discreetly twitched his finger. Neither Lance nor Ilana noticed. The motion sensors picked it up, however, and switched on the lights of the display room.

The robotic dog's head was instantly illuminated.

Lance and Ilana froze, eyes going wide.

"What the…" Lance began, but trailed off.

The two of them slowly turned in a circle, looking at all the material on display; the ship they had arrived in, the hand of the long-limbed monster, a rock from the fire monster, the hologram-screens displaying video footage of Titan and Lance and Ilana's robotic forms.

They slowly approached the screens, seeming to forget Solomon. He watched them vividly, observing each of their reactions. Their shock was too obvious. They knew what all this was. Solomon narrowed his eyes.

"They're following our every move," Ilana said fearfully. "What do they want with us!?"

"They think you're Titan," Solomon stepped up. **_I_** _think you're Titan,_ his mind whispered.

Lance and Ilana exchanged glances. Ilana was worried, fearful, and perhaps a little guilty? Lance was firm and angry.

"Are you?" Solomon pressed. In their shock they might slip, they might reveal something.

Lance put a hand on Ilana's shoulder. "Come on, Ilana." They began to back up.

Solomon grit his teeth, they were too smart, too afraid to give away even the smallest detail. Their reactions said a lot, but Solomon wanted _confirmation._

The doors to the display room suddenly opened, and a dozen G3 agents stood on the other side.

Solomon tensed; his men had probably lost track of them in the vents. This made them accidentally stumble into here, not realizing Solomon and the aliens were here.

"It's a trap!" Ilana shouted. Lance lifted his G3 blaster but one agent reacted quickly and shot it with precision aim, destroying it. Ilana flinched as the gun in Lance's hands burst apart so close to her.

But Solomon could tell his agents didn't know what to do; they didn't fire any more or attack. They looked at him, waiting to follow his lead.

Perhaps this was an opportunity. Lance and Ilana would believe their escape better if there were actually attempts to recapture them. Defeating G3 agents, with Solomon's/Kane's help, would build trust.

…And Solomon wanted to take a firsthand look at Lance's fighting style. He'd seen some of it when his agents had first captured the alien…but he wanted a better look.

Solomon leapt into action, over Lance's and Ilana's heads. He punched an agent and another one instinctively shot at him. Solomon jumped to dodge the blast and kicked the agent down. The agents caught on to what Solomon wanted, and began to attack.

Ilana ran to help Solomon fight, and Lance, when he saw Ilana go into battle, instantly followed.

Lance kicked down one agent, whirled and kicked another and another, threw punches on all sides. His moves were fluid and firm. He easily took down every agent that approached him.

Solomon had to turn away his focus from Lance to strike down another agent; careful to attack with just enough force to knock them out. Perhaps a few he punched too lightly, but they pretended, and laid limp. The ones up still attacked him. He blocked a punch and hit back, grabbed an agent's arm and threw him into another.

All the agents charged at them, dropping their blasters in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Solomon was glad for it; it would be a more realistic victory if both sides were unarmed.

Lance continued to attack viciously. His strikes were powerful and his movements quick. Solomon noticed Lance placed himself between the agents and Ilana, but a few of them reached her to attack. Her strikes were less strong, and it took her more time to defeat the agents. But her fighting style was the same.

They _both_ fought this way.

Solomon leapt out of the way of a strike and stood back-to-back with Lance. They both tripped an agent charging at them and threw a punch; they went through the basic forms of this particular style; kicking their opponents in the chest, striking with their fists, turning around to check behind them and then leaping into the air to come down on a new enemy.

They both landed in the exact same stance as the last of the agents were defeated. Lance turned to face him, briefly glancing down at Solomon's stance.

"How did you learn to fight like that?!" Lance demanded.

"How did you?" Solomon shot back. It unnerved him that these two aliens knew his fighting style. He wanted answers before he provided them with one—this was personal, not about the fate of earth.

Ilana and Lance's eyes narrowed and Solomon realized he'd just been very suspicious. He didn't know how to recover from that without being _more_ suspicious, so he changed the subject.

"They know we're here now, and they'll send reinforcements—we have to move."

He turned through the door and began to jog down the halls again. He realized a few steps away that Lance and Ilana weren't following him. He paused, but then they came through the door after him. Without a word, he continued down the halls.

Solomon twisted and turned through the hallways, forming a new plan in his mind. Perhaps he _should_ give them back their com devices. What would they do, call the robot? If it came to help them, Solomon already knew that at least one of his blasters worked on it.

The aliens obviously wanted the com devices badly. If Solomon gave it to them, he felt that would be the greatest thing he could do to earn their trust. Right now, he wasn't making much progress. He needed to do something greater to get Lance and Ilana to confide in him. Giving them their watches seemed like the best option.

It was a risk. But a risk he was willing to take.

He entered a new room and ran down one of G3's runways. G3 HQ was equipped with many jets and weapons; this dock was one of many.

Once he reached the edge, slid down onto the floor and grabbed onto a ladder. He dropped down and turned right the hall, towards one of the labs. He wondered if his agents had removed the scientists from the lab when they realized where he was headed, or whether he would have to fight his own unarmed scientists to keep up this ruse.

Lance jumped down the ladder, and Ilana climbed step by step.

Once she was down, Solomon pointed down the hall. "Come on. Your gear is through here."

"Ilana; we're going this way," Lance said, and turned in the opposite direction.

Solomon cursed on the inside. He'd underestimated how mistrustful Lance was on the martial arts subject.

Perhaps he didn't need Lance; the boy didn't reveal anything. Ilana seemed more lenient to part with information.

He tried to convince her. "He's gonna get you killed." Ilana met his eyes. She was forced to choose between the two of them. She looked unsure.

Lance held her arm and spoke insistently to her. "He's one of them." Lance threw a glare in Solomon's direction. "We have to get rid of this guy and find our com devices now."

Solomon clenched his fists. He'd done all this to earn their trust. He'd gone undercover, allowed them to escape, led them about this base, fought his own men…and it seemed it had all been for nothing. "You're making a mistake."

Lance turned away firmly. "Let's go."

Ilana shot a last glance at Solomon, but he knew her choice was made. Her trust was in Lance.

"I'm telling you! You're going the wrong way!" Solomon called after them. He doubted they would actually return, but it was worth a try and would seem strange otherwise.

They reached the end of the runway and went through a door, not looking back. They were gone.

Solomon remained where he stood, seemingly completely alone. But he knew he wasn't. "Come out."

A few doors opened—lab doors, runway trapdoors, a few agents poked their heads through the ladder above. They had always been in reach, always ready to follow his command.

One stepped up to Solomon and stood at attention. "Should we go after them now, sir?"

Solomon lifted a hand to his chin. Perhaps this was still salvageable. Lance and Ilana didn't trust him, but didn't have a good reason _not_ to trust him, besides the fact that they thought he had once worked for G3. He could still make them believe he was on their side.

"No," he said, folding his hands behind his back. "Cut off their path so they're forced to head for the Titan prison. Bring me their watches. Gather all agents to the area, and prepare for a fight."

OOO

Solomon stood on one of the balconies of the Titan prison, unseen. The room was huge; Titan could easily fit in it. This space was built recently, in case G3 ever needed to contain the giant robot; the floor could open up to get Titan in and out.

Balconies on every level circled the open space completely. A massive fight was about to break out in this room; if Titan showed up, Solomon would rather the giant robot didn't tear apart his base simply by appearing. If Lance and Ilana were baited to take their robotic forms, this would also be the best place for conflict.

The prison was unlit at the moment. From the balcony he was on, Solomon could see the outlines of Lance and Ilana running across the empty floor. He watched them cross it, their watches clenched in his hands. Ilana's was gold; Lance's was purple. The scientists had stopped blocking their signal; if the robot could track the watches, it was on its way. He was about to return this technology they so desperately wanted back to them when he still knew nothing about it. But it was best to wait until the last moment—when they _needed_ it.

Lance opened a door that led to the outside sky. He shouted in alarm as the wind nearly dragged him out—that would have been terrible—but Ilana grabbed him and wrenched him away from the edge. They both overbalanced and landed hard on the ground.

The outside door closed. Solomon decided it was time. He gestured an order, and the room lit up. Doors opened, and his agents poured in. They moved through the balconies together, as one entity, and pointed their guns at Lance and Ilana. The two aliens scrambled up and looked around as they were surrounded. They stood back to back, but in seconds the G3 agents were in position and had their blasters trained on the two aliens from all directions.

"What do we do now?" Lance said to Ilana.

"Hey!" Solomon called to them.

Solomon grabbed a rope and jumped off the balcony. He fell towards the two of them, joining them in the open. His agents remained still as he swung through the prison.

"Kane!" Ilana cried when she saw him. Her face lit up with a smile.

"I think you forgot these," Solomon tossed them their watches. They both caught their own. He landed as the two of them strapped the watches back to their wrists.

Lance looked uneasily at Solomon. "…Sorry. I should have trusted you."

 _Excellent._ They trusted him now. He hoped this was all worth it.

Solomon tried to shrug the incident off, show there was no anger. "Don't worry, kid. I'm used to it."

Now time to ask some questions. He went for the most relevant, and perhaps the most important at the moment. "So what's so special about those watches?" he asked, turning to them. Why did the aliens want them back so desperately?

Lance and Ilana exchanged smug knowing looks, and lifted their hands to their watches. They pressed some sort of button on them, and then there was a flash of light.

Solomon had been unprepared—he took a step back in shock. The gold and purple robots stood in front of him, in the places where Lance and Ilana had been.

He had never been this close to them before. He'd seen footage, but it was nothing compared to this. They were bigger than he thought, especially now that they were looming over him. They shined in a flawless glow; there was not a single scratch or blemish in the armor. Both had a sense of majesty and regal power.

The watches were what made them transform. The watches held the armor—Solomon had held them _in his hands._

His agents began firing—it would be foolish otherwise, these robots had proven that they could be dangerous. G3 had to strike first, at least for appearances.

Solomon knew none of his agents would shoot him—even if they did so to avoid suspicion, they were sharp enough to purposely miss. But the gold robot—Ilana, flew in front of him defensively. She lifted her hands and an energy shield appeared, guarding him against the shots.

He stared in awed at the technology. He couldn't begin to imagine all the detail, all the advanced knowledge that had made this. He was inside her shield that was like a dome over them—an energy power that she generated merely with a lifting of her hands. The shots had no effect on it, showing it was much stronger than G3's electro prison wall.

The purple robot—Lance—was not within the shield. But the shots of G3 agents did nothing against his armor. He took off, flying up through the huge space, G3 agents trying to shoot after him. He spun around, lifting his arms too and bullets shot out of his wrists at the G3 agents in the balconies. He tore through a walkway, breaking the solid metal like it was paper.

Two agents with missile launchers took aim at him. They fired as he flew past and the missiles pursued him up the room.

Rather than dodge, Lance took out some kind of probe or pod within the leg of his armor. In a flash, the prod turned into sword, and he swiped at the missiles, detonating their explosion. Solomon lost sight of him in the smoke of the missiles for a moment, but it cleared quickly—Lance's armor was completely unharmed. It hadn't even disrupted his flight.

Lance fired his own missiles from the shoulder of his armor at the agents, blowing up part of a balcony.

G3 agents on jet packs suddenly flew down to attack Ilana and Solomon. Ilana lowered her arms and the shield disappeared. She turned after the flying agents and fired a laser from her forehead. It hit an agent's jet pack and he fell to the ground.

A few agents landed before Solomon. Needing to keep up appearances, he attacked them, taking them out.

G3 agents brought in laser-tanks and more missile launchers. For a moment Lance seemed surrounded—jet-packed agents, missiles, and lasers were coming at him from all angles. But Lance's armor opened up around the shoulders and his metal chest, and released a swarm of missiles at everything around him. The missiles decimated everything that was trying to attack him.

Laser cannons from above took aim at Lance and fired at all once—and hit. He crashed to the ground, but his armor _still_ looked undamaged.

The cannons turned on Ilana. Solomon jumped out of their way as the lasers chased after the female alien. She delicately landed on the ground, but the lasers surrounded her and were closing in. She lifted her hands to her heart-shaped chest and a glowing ball of energy that looked like a miniature sun appeared directly before her, contained between her hands. She released it, and a powerful laser beam swept across the balconies, destroying all the cannons in one attack.

There was a pause in the battle after that huge destruction. Lance stood and Ilana looked around. They exchanged a few words but Solomon couldn't hear them. And he doubted, with all the explosions, it had been picked up by security recordings. He hoped they hadn't said something important, something he would have needed to hear.

The shots returned and Ilana brought up the shield again. More tanks were approaching them—but just then, something burst through the floor and into the base, speedily crashing through the G3 agents.

"What is _that?"_ Solomon asked in genuine confusion and surprise.

"Octus!" Ilana cried. She lowered her hands. "He's with us."

'Octus.' Yes, the robot. So it had found Lance and Ilana after all.

"I apologize for not getting here sooner," it said as it charged through G3 agents. The robot turned around and stopped by Lance and Ilana's side.

Three of them; three aliens with advanced technology beyond imagination. Solomon could help but ask aloud; "Who _are_ you?"

G3 alarms went off. Massive doors opened, and G3 war vehicles stepped through. The grey and red two-legged machines were easily the size of Lance's armor. Solomon glanced at the three aliens besides him, wondering if they were at all worried about these new opponents. But no expression was visible besides the metal masks on Lance and Ilana's faces.

The tank-walkers approached and began to take aim.

Lance's metal fingers clenched and Solomon sensed the male alien was tired of this fighting. "Octus; Initiate Titan!"

Solomon's eared perked; Titan?

The robot hummed and glowed. "Initiate: Sym-Bionic Titan, Octus Unit: _MAGNIFY!"_

The robot's outer energy-body blew up like a balloon and it turned from blue to green. Solomon could still see its core and wires within in, rapidly speeding upwards as the robot's body expanded everywhere, through the whole room. The core of the robot turned its yellow eye down at Lance and Ilana, and they were pulled forward towards it.

Lance was dragged ahead and centered in the robot's now-massive body. His purple armor stretched out. It opened up and Solomon could barely see Lance's silhouette being taken out of the armor.

As Lance's armor opened, Ilana's was drawn into the gap. Her armor snapped into place and then opened, too, her human form briefly visible as it too as it was lifted out of the armor.

Both armors and the core of the robot intertwined, merging and growing to fit the massive space. It extended itself and Solomon's eyes were glued to the transformation. The metal that had been the armors became the inners, the skeleton of the new form. The robot's blue-green energy closed in and became the outer skin.

"Incredible," Solomon breathed.

It all fit so perfectly together. It extended and grew, building and building into… _Titan._

The head was the last to form, its helmet unfolding from the body and golden eyes beaming through.

The tank-walkers looked up and up as Titan was completed, standing in the midst of G3. Its technology was so close, the dazzling display of how it was formed just shown right before them. It had been unexpected—but presented a brilliant opportunity.

Solomon's agents did not see it that way. They slowly backed up, perhaps hoping not to be noticed, but Titan turned its head down on them.

Titan kicked a massive foot at the tank-walker, instantly destroying it. The other tanks tried to shoot, but Titan smashed them to bits by merely stomping.

The explosions of the tanks snapped Solomon out of his awe. He shielded himself briefly before whirling around back to his men. " _Now!"_

His orders were instant. One of the balconies opened a hatch, and a sheet of metal snapped towards Titan's body. Titan lifted an arm to guard itself—a mistake. The metal wrapped around Titan's huge arm.

The same thing happened on the other side of the huge prison, a band of metal lurching out and binding Titan's other arm.

Titan's head looked rapidly back and forth between its two arms, and though it had no expression, Solomon guessed it recognized the larger version of G3's handcuffs.

More hatches opened up all around the room, about waste-level to Titan. Bright green engines glowed, now revealed. The cuffs responded to the engines and hummed, lighting up. For a moment Titan shook as it tried to fight the cuffs, but then the giant robot's hands snapped together. These cuffs were designed especially for Titan, by Solomon's superior. They sent a paralyzing wave of electricity through Titan, making it entirely impossible for Titan to move. It couldn't even kick anymore.

Solomon waited on the ground, looking up at the colossal Titan to make sure the cuffs truly worked. When Titan did nothing, he turned and ran to the edge of the prison.

He leaped to the next balcony, and the one after that. With single bounds, he jumped up through each of them, rising to match the level with Titan's head. It was only moments before he climbed all the way, and he wasn't even out of breath. Adrenaline rushed through him. This was the perfect moment—Titan completely at G3's mercy. It was time for answers.

An agent on the top floor waited with his uniform. Solomon snapped his red googles around his eyes and slid his fedora onto his head. He was eager to get started, though, and was already speaking to Titan before he had even finished pulling his coat around him.

"I knew you and your armored suits were linked to the giant robot Titan," he said triumphantly—he had been right about that, "but I didn't know _how._ I didn't factor in the third member of your party."

He hadn't even _known_ about the robot—that was his superior's fault. It burned him that he hadn't even seen the alien robot for _months._ It was G3's responsibility to know these things.

But his irritation was blown away by all he had learned. He knew where Titan came from. He knew how it always appeared and disappeared, how it was summoned. The technology was incredible and mind-blowing. He had been right; Lance and Ilana _were_ behind Titan. Their armored suits _became_ Titan.

The extraordinary machine turned its head to look at him. Titan's very face was right before him, looking at him, focused on him. He felt, quite literally, that he was in the presence of a giant.

It shouldn't be able to move its head—his superior's invention was to immobilize it. But its movement was limited, Solomon concluded firmly. If Titan had total free movement, it would have escaped by now.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

Titan's voice—Solomon hadn't been sure it could talk, but was glad to find it could. Its voice was distorted, familiar, and it sounded like multiple people talking at once. Solomon recognized one of the voices as the robot's. He couldn't make out if Lance and Ilana were speaking as well.

Titan's question brought Solomon back to the here and now. The awe needed to be pushed aside; it was time to get down to business. Here came the difficult part.

"I'm Solomon," he introduced, truthfully this time. He knew he was admitting his lies and deceit, but trust was over. He'd tried to earn their trust and had gotten next to nothing. He needed answers, and he wanted them to understand exactly who he really was. "I run G3."

Titan was silent for a moment, perhaps processing the betrayal. Solomon leaned his weight to one side, slightly enjoying having such a powerful force at his mercy. He couldn't help his returning reverence as he looked Titan over yet again. In person, and this close, it was a massive and dominating presence. He was memorized by it.

"But look at you," he gestured a hand to the formidable robot. Were the aliens inside, Lance and Ilana, also breathe-taken by their own marvel? Or were they used to it by now?

"Who's talking?" Solomon allowed his own curiosity to show. He started lightly, trying to seem unaggressive, for now. "Lance?" he pressed, "Ilana?" He folded his hands behind his back. "Or is it the robot?"

It _sounded_ like the robot, but Solomon couldn't see why Lance and Ilana would allow it to speak for them.

Titan turned its head away; perhaps in disinterest or stubbornness. Or maybe to angle its ear to better hear what Solomon said. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

They weren't in an obliging mood. "Answers."

And Solomon would have them. After all these months, it was time. He would ask everything and do whatever it took to finally get the knowledge he needed.

"WE'RE NOT TELLING YOU ANYTHING," Titan said defiantly.

Unfortunate. Solomon didn't want to harm or force them, but he needed to know what was going on, why all of this was happening to earth. Lives hung in the balance; the monsters Titan attracted had killed people. G3 had to know why.

Solomon steeled himself, knowing this was wrong. Lance and Ilana were young. And though Lance was aggressive, neither of them deserved this.

 _Answers,_ Solomon thought firmly. _We need answers; no matter what it takes._

Outwardly, he showed none of this inner conflict. "You don't have that option."

Lightning sparked out from the engines at the sides. Titan cowered instinctively as the bolts shocked it, certainly painful.

The lightning stopped quickly. Solomon wanted to hurt them as little as possible. He remained still until the lightning stopped. Titan's head was lowered and puffs of smoke and steam drifted off its body.

"Let's try this again," Solomon said. He hoped they would crack soon, but after Lance's interrogation, he knew it would take some time. "Where are you from?" He pointed a finger at them.

There was no response. Before shocking them again, Solomon tried another. Perhaps they would be reasonable with this one, as it did fully concern earth rather than anything about their home planet. "Why have you brought all these monsters here?"

Titan still did not respond. Lightning poured out again and Titan reared back in pain.

Solomon clenched his hands by his sides, ridding himself of sympathy. It angered him that they were being so resilient. What were they hiding? Why were they _here?_

"What is your mission?" he demanded.

While waiting for an answer, Solomon noticed Titan's golden eyes dim. He reached forward and gripped the railing with his gloved hands. "What is it doing?"

Agents were monitoring Titan this whole time. He knew they were trying to find out what was happening, but something else caught Solomon's attention.

There was a creaking noise from below. Solomon looked down as nails and bolts were flung out of their places. Metal under Titan's feet started to crack and pop out of place. Pieces of it gave way, and Titan lowered into the floor a few feet.

Solomon stared in alarm. His agents were still down there! "Clear the area!" he shouted, "The floor's not going to hold!"

His agents on the ground ran as Titan fell deeper. With a loud crash, the metal gave way under Titan, opening up to the outside below.

Solomon leaned over the railing, watching Titan fall a short distance to the earth below. But as it got out of range, the cuffs binding it lost their signal and power. They were useless—and Titan tore them apart with a firm snap.

Now free, Titan rolled over in the air and blasted off.

The opening made the base unstable, but the Titan Prison floor had multiple layers that could cover it. The agents immediately activated one, closing the gap.

Solomon glared down at the hole before it was closed off. Titan had _escaped._ He'd had it _right here_ , caught and vulnerable. He knew it had used some unknown technology to get out—G3 scientists had estimated Titan's mass and prepared this room to hold Titan. The floor had held for some time; Titan had somehow increased its weight to break through. It had gotten away.

Solomon had learned so much, but was boiling with more questions. Questions that, one way or another, he _would_ get answers to.

"We're not done yet," he growled after it, though he knew it— _they—_ couldn't hear him.

The bottom doors snapped closed.

 _Ping._ Solomon's com device distracted him. He lifted it and saw a new top-priority message. His superior had just summoned him.

He slowly exhaled. He'd planned not to confront his superior until after he had gotten answers. But Titan was long gone now. It had slipped through his fingers. Solomon had wasted many resources and revealed G3 to the aliens. And he had very little to show for it.

He was going to be in a lot of trouble.

His agents were watching him, waiting for orders. Solomon turned and put his hands in his pockets, lowering his head so his fedora would cover his face from their view.

"Clean up," he ordered as he walked past them. "And find out how it escaped."

He left. It would take some time to recover from the damage. Many agents had been wounded, whether from being merely knocked out by Lance's punches, or blown up by the alien's armor. Ilana's powerful laser had destroyed a dozen cannons, and Titan had smashed at least three tank-walkers. Not to mention their means of containing the aliens was also damaged; Lance had shot the electro-walls of the minor prison, and also Titan had taken G3's only pair of the massive cuffs.

There were other places to contain Lance and Ilana (that would only work if G3 managed to take away the watches again), but Solomon doubted G3 could catch the aliens again so easily. Before, Lance and Ilana hadn't even known G3 existed. Now…they would be watching out for it.

Solomon clenched his fists in his pockets, regret gnawing in his chest. He wished he could have found a way to keep Titan. He'd finally had it in his grasp, but it had slipped away.

He took small steps, not wanting to go where he was headed. He knew he had to confront his superior sooner or later, but he couldn't help but try to delay the inevitable.

He climbed down the ladder step by step, keeping his head low. He immediately felt his superior's attention on him, pinning him here, judging his failures, anger sizzling in the air.

He reached the floor and turned to his superior. He did not look up. "Sir." He paused a small second, throat catching but he covered it up and pressed on. "I know I was only supposed to watch them. But the information we attained is _invaluable,_ " Solomon said hurriedly. He went on, insistent. "All three are needed to form Titan. They are not from this world."

" _Solomon."_

The word, said with such anger, silenced Solomon instantly. He wasn't able to tell any more of the information he'd gotten.

"Don't disobey me _ever_ again."

Solomon gritted his teeth in a grimace. His superior had been right—they hadn't known enough, and that ignorance had allowed Titan to escape. Perhaps if he'd waited, until his superior agreed and assisted him in keeping the aliens captive, he might have learned more.

Solomon felt shamed. He murmured, subdued; "Yes, sir."


	6. Episodes 12, 13, & 14

Twelve: The Ballad of Scary Mary

 **Hey, so, this episode is basically Solomon just pondering what happened last episode. I considered calling it eleven and half, but…nah.**

Solomon had expected Lance, Ilana, and their robot to move immediately. He would even have bet they never went back to their house, and even if they did, it would only be for a short time. He had spies stationed nearby to keep an eye on the place, even though Solomon was now forced back into zero contact with the aliens.

So when he returned from his visit with his superior and was told his spies had seen the two aliens and their robot return to the home, and still hadn't left, he was surprised. Perhaps they had material they needed to retrieve before moving—but they didn't leave. Lance was constantly glaring out the windows, watching and guarding. Ilana seemed to spend more time upstairs. The robot, in his hologram disguise, went outside and checked the dampening markings planted there for their security system. The large front window of the house was almost always shaded now. Solomon's spies had trouble getting close looks, but Solomon kept their surveying the house. He wanted to know instantly if they left.

But they didn't leave. They stayed, and went to school on Monday like nothing had happened. Assured that they weren't going to disappear, Solomon drew his spies back from constantly observing. He didn't want them to get caught.

Why would Lance and Ilana stay where they were? Now they knew about G3. G3 had kidnapped them, tortured them, manipulated them…surely they wanted to keep out of G3's reach. Solomon's agents had attacked the house before and could do it again. So why would Lance and Ilana stay where they knew they were vulnerable?

He had no means of answers now. Lance and Ilana saw G3 as a threat to them, and would be mistrustful of any encounter.

Perhaps Solomon could find some clues to their actions in the recordings of when he _did_ have them captured. He currently sat in his prime computer room, a small, dim area filled with hologram-screens and full access to the entirety of G3 knowledge. Whenever Solomon needed to juggle multiple missions and jobs, or review reports or video feeds, he did it here. It was private and had everything he needed at his fingertips.

The red tint of Solomon's googles mixed with the blue and green light of the holo-screens. The rest of the room was completely black, the walls were impossible to see, making it feel infinitely large. The keyboards and control panels, glowing light blue, completely surrounded Solomon.

He moved through the security feed, first watching Lance's interrogation. One of Solomon's most aggressive agents had been chosen for that task. Solomon wasn't surprised to see Lance hadn't said a word. The interrogator had gotten a little too rough for Solomon's taste…perhaps that hadn't been the best call.

He knew when he ordered the interrogation that it wasn't the right thing. To harm the aliens would destroy chances of building an alliance with them. But if there was a chance that Lance and Ilana were a threat, invaders or otherwise harmful to earth, shouldn't G3 find out by any means necessary? Wasn't it better to be safe rather than sorry?

It was when Ilana was threatened that a bit of fear sparked through Lance's face. And only moments after, Lance escaped, easily taking on the four G3 agents in the room.

Solomon watched Lance continued to fight his way out, occasionally rewinding to study Lance's martial arts form. Solomon gnawed the inside of his cheek slightly, pondering whether or not to ask his superior how Lance knew how to fight like this. He decided against it, for now; his superior was still angry at him.

Solomon watched the video of him first speaking to Ilana. He again wished he'd had a longer time with her. But Lance was very protective of her and they were apparently difficult to separate, as Lance had broken out to _protect_ her. They obviously cared for one another; was that a sibling bond, or were they actually siblings? Solomon saw no familial resemblance between them, but he knew nothing of the alien genetics.

Now it was too late to try and wheedle information out of Ilana. After being betrayed by Kane, she would be far more suspicious. Solomon had wasted the opportunity.

He paused the recordings, taking a moment to center himself and dispose of the feelings of regret. Now wasn't the time. He would study this first.

Solomon reached the part where he had led Lance and Ilana through the maze of G3 HQ. He played the part he hadn't heard, when Lance and Ilana had whispered to each other behind him.

"Can we really trust this guy?" Lance asked the other alien.

"Do we have a choice?" Ilana asked back.

That was it. Solomon was slightly disappointed there hadn't been more. He pushed through the recordings, again observed Lance and Ilana's fighting style. There were no other words Lance and Ilana said that Solomon hadn't already heard.

Finally he reached the point where he gave Lance and Ilana their watches back. What spectacular technology—how were their armored suits stored in the watches? What was it like to be inside them, piloting them?

For the next few hours he replayed through that fight. He observed each armor's weapons—Ilana's golden armor seemed better designed for defense and precision attacks. She had shields, but it seemed she could only attack when the shields were down. She had a quick laser that could be shot from her forehead, and a much more powerful laser that came from her chest. The stronger laser, however, seemed to need a few seconds to charge. Solomon wondered if the lasers or the shields ever depleted their power.

Lance's armor was built for intense combat. He had an incredible amount of missiles and bullets that never seemed to run out. In his armor's leg compartments where Solomon knew his sword was, there were a few other pods with other possible weapons.

The robot, when it arrived, did not seem to have shields or weapons, but relied on its speed and solid form to ram opponents aside. Solomon was still annoyed that he hadn't known about the robot until this encounter. It had been vital to Lance and Ilana's escape, and if Solomon had been prepared for it, perhaps they would still be on this ship.

The robot was obviously supposed to protect the two aliens. It had been very aggressive when G3 first abducted Lance and Ilana, and hadn't stopped once in its pursuit of them. The moment the signal of the watches had been allowed to broadcast, the robot had come.

There was a small report from security agents that before it had arrived at HQ, the robot had broken into the old G3 base, before this current one in the upper atmosphere was finished. The ground base was long abandoned, and there was nothing there anymore. Still, the robot had triggered alerts by entering, and those signals had been sent here, to the current base.

The robot had explored the base before the scientists had allowed the watch signals to broadcast, and then immediately came here. Still, it showed how close the robot had come to finding G3 HQ on its own.

And then Titan. Solomon watched its formation frame by frame and was still awed. The giant robot was supreme and magnificent, a blend of all three. It was easily stronger than the two armors and robot combined.

How was it controlled? Lance, Ilana, and the robot made it up. Did each control certain parts of it? Did they take turns? Or did they cooperate?

Cooperation and teamwork made the most sense. When Titan had played the children's song on teamwork, Lance and Ilana had been in a fight. Their conflict must have hindered Titan. Perhaps that had also been the case with the six-armed monster.

Solomon tilted his head and pulled up another screen. Two pictures were before him; a paused security tape of Lance and Ilana in G3 HQ, and a picture of Titan. Earth's defender relied on how well these two got along.

They were polar opposites. Ilana was bright, youthfully naive, and friendly. She trusted easily and was kind and reasonable. She showed concern for those who were hurt, even strangers, as she had with Kane. Lance on the other hand, was dark, mistrustful, and aggressive. He had endured the brutal interrogation and hadn't cracked in the least. It was him who convinced Ilana to leave Kane behind.

It made sense that they would fight often. And yet, they also worked well together. Besides the fact that Titan had defeated many monsters despite the conflicting aliens inside it, Lance and Ilana obviously cared a great deal about one another. They defended each other, whether Lance did so with his advanced fighting skills or Ilana with her energy shields. They trusted each other. Lance had obeyed Ilana when she had wanted to bring Kane along, but Ilana had followed Lance when he had wanted to leave Kane behind.

Solomon found that he trusted them to put aside their differences and defend the earth as Titan. They'd done so for this long. With the extent of their care for each other, sibling or not, there couldn't be a better team. In a way, having the two of them inside Titan was the best of both worlds; idealistic and realistic.

Solomon had expected that, once Lance and Ilana thought their identities revealed, they would act differently. They obviously wanted to blend in with humans, so it made sense they would put up an act when around humans. Behaving as children would was the most unassuming.

Yet from Solomon's observations as Kane, they were not pretending. Ilana truly was sweet and innocent, and Lance really was moody and defensive.

They were both truly children.

It was no disguise, cover-up, or ruse. They were _young._ Why aliens would send two children to another planet, alone? Didn't they know the dangers?

Dangers like G3?

Solomon closed his eyes for a moment and leaned back. He'd done horrible things to them. He'd known it'd been wrong and awful, but he'd done it anyway. Earth was in danger and he had needed to know why. But in doing so, he may have destroyed any trust that could have been bridged between G3 and these aliens, the only defenders strong enough to protect earth.

Solomon was startled out of his thoughts when he got an alert and instinctively recomposed himself. He needn't have worried; no one was communicating with him. It was merely a report on how Titan escaped. After the massive damage done to the Titan prison, examination on its weaknesses had been secondary to rebuilding it. G3 had to repair its flooring so the entire base didn't overbalance and tumble out of the sky.

Bringing his mind back to earth, Solomon moved a new holo-screen before him to examine the report. The information confused him; somehow Titan had gotten into the frequency codes for their gravity containment generators. The scientists who sent the report were baffled; it was as if Titan just had the codes. How? The robot had broken into the old G3 base, but the codes weren't there. How did the aliens get them? Those codes were supposed to be secured.

Once Titan _had_ gotten the frequency codes, it had redirected the energy to increase its mass and broken through the floor. That explained _what_ Titan had done to get away, but not _how._

These aliens obviously still had a few tricks up their sleeves. G3 didn't understand them enough to fight them, or force answers out of them. And after this disaster, Lance and Ilana wouldn't want anything more to do with G3.

Solomon couldn't blame them. He'd seen these aliens as secretive enemies, but G3 hadn't behaved much better. They had attacked _children._ And while Solomon was willing to do anything to protect earth and humanity, harming children was something he would at least hesitate to do. He had never thought he would need to when he helped G3 begin with his superior.

He had been too rash. Too enamored with the opportunity to catch the aliens, that he hadn't seen the best way to handle them. Lance and Ilana had been _right in reach._ Their home had been easy to break into. And then, when the opportunity to capture _Titan_ presented itself, again Solomon had snatched at it without thinking.

Rather than subduing and torturing the aliens, Solomon should have tried trust first. They were obviously hiding something, he knew it, but now why would they give answers to someone who tricked and hurt them?

His superior had been right. Solomon should have waited.

Next time, if there was a next time, G3 wouldn't be as cruel.

Solomon pulled up a holo-screen and began to order a new alien containment cell to be built. One that was kinder and equipped to provide for their needs. One that wouldn't be threatening or traumatizing.

Thirteen: The Demon Within

Solomon waited a long time before sending the retrieval team to pick up the next monster. He did not want there to be any G3 encounter with Lance and Ilana. There had been one monster before now, but Titan had completely obliterated that one. There was nothing to retrieve.

From his spy reports, the young aliens seemed to be calming down. From the occasional images he got of them inside their home, they seem to have completely relaxed once again.

Solomon did not normally have his spies survey the insides of the house. The agents kept outside and alerted Solomon whenever a resident was leaving. But he had ordered a day where his agents looked through the windows to see what was going on. He was pleased of how Lance and Ilana had returned to normal. Lance did not patrol the windows anymore and Ilana came downstairs when she wanted to read again.

Still, Solomon had his agents return to distant observance after that.

When his retrieval agents finally moved in to investigate the latest alien crash, they discovered a ship.

Solomon waited as the alien ship was lowered from the hovercraft into one of the hangers of G3 HQ. It was not a huge ship, like the cockroach-like one belonged to the red alien or the one who's metal Steel had confiscated. It was a small, tadpole-shaped ship that had two seats…one of which was occupied.

The head of the ship was an orange glass dome. But the dome was broken; something sharp had been thrown and had shattered through the glass, impaling the creature inside.

The weapon that had destroyed the ship was gone, but the alien body was still inside. As his agents removed the dome, Solomon locked his gaze onto the new creature's pale, limp corpse. It was grotesque; had it been like this before it had died? The top of its head was transparent, showing its brain. It had four webbed arms, attached to each other by a veil of skin. Sharp, uneven fangs jutted out of its mouth, and two pairs of eyes blankly looked up from its chin.

Agents moved towards the body with caution, but the monster was certainly dead. Solomon wondered how intelligent it had been—mindless like the giant monsters? This one was at least smart enough to pilot a ship. Around its seat were numerous levers and controls. It seemed like a complex system, and from the creature's position sitting before these controls, it must have understood how to use them.

This was an interesting deviation from the usual animalistic monster. It would have to be researched further.

Solomon turned away as the ship and the creature were moved to G3 labs. Lance, Ilana, and their robot were still protecting earth from these creatures. Solomon hid his small sigh of relief. A part of him had been clenched in worry that, in their anger over G3's treatment of them, Lance and Ilana might refuse to defend earth anymore. But they still did.

Solomon was grateful for that.

Fourteen: I Am Octus

Solomon was reading the usual daily report on Lance and Ilana. Sometimes it felt odd to read something that appeared so normal most of the time. It certainly did now—the aliens had visited an art museum today.

He skimmed the report thoughtfully, and watched the recording of them at the museum. His agents no longer spied on Lance and Ilana twenty-four seven, but kept an eye on them whenever they left the house. They weren't followed all the time, but any facial recognition on any camera was taken by G3. This time, for example, G3 watched them through the art industry security cameras. Solomon wondered idly if they had art where they came from, and if so, what it was like.

Solomon noted a third with them; a pale, large human that looked to be in his teens. But Solomon recognized the familiar form and build—rectangular. Much like the third target the night G3 had broken into the Lunis household, who had turned out to be the robot.

Solomon found himself doubtless that this was the robot in a different hologram. He didn't understand why it wouldn't be using the grown-man disguise—wouldn't that fit in just as well? Why did it matter if a robot appeared younger?

A thought struck him, and Solomon pulled up a holo-screen. He looked up Sherman High School's students, and sure enough, in a class photo was the robot in this teenage form. Right with Lance and Ilana.

The robot's student form was called "Newton." This had to be a persona so the robot could join its masters in the High School. Interesting. How many disguises did it have, Solomon wondered? Did they all have the same shape?

It was good to know about this one; another thing to spy on, another identity to watch out for. Solomon browsed through the robot's school information and was unsurprised to see its grades were completely perfect. Solomon added it to the watch list and returned to watching the footage of the aliens in the museum. They were speaking with each other, but the footage didn't come with recordings.

"Sir." Solomon looked up at an approaching agent. "Something is happening in France."

Solomon turned off the screens immediately. It had been two weeks since the last alien landing—which meant another one would probably come soon. "Has the portal activated?"

'Portal' was the G3 label for the place where the aliens came through to earth. It was nearly impossible to detect, only ever opening for a few seconds. It was so high above earth that the creatures that came from it could land just about anywhere. Sherman was easily the most common place, however.

"No, sir," the agent said. "But the population of an entire village in France has sudden become completely still and unresponsive, as are all those who enter the area."

Solomon began to move, the agent walking by his side. "Assemble a recon team and get all our scientists on this— _now."_

"Yes, sir."

A few minutes later, Solomon entered a lab where his scientists were buzzing about, trying to gather information. They had nothing to work with—no specimens to study. Anyone who got too close to the village was affected too.

Solomon whipped up a holo-screen and watched data pouring in. At first he thought he was only looking at a picture—but it was a video. People were frozen. They might as well be statues.

"Sir," a scientist spoke up softly. "The cameraman of that feed has also been affected. He's frozen too, but we can still see through the camera."

A com in the room buzzed. "We've landed in France, outside the village. Setting up scanners now."

Solomon patrolled around the lab, watching the readings over his scientists' shoulders. There were no toxins in the air, no signals that G3 could detect…

"The French military is approaching nearby," an agent on the field reported over com. "They know to let us handle—"

It wasn't like the agent was cut off. The signal was still clear. It was like the agent himself had just decided to stop talking.

A sense of unease entered the room, like thick air.

Solomon stepped forward. "Agent, report." There was nothing. "Recon team, report."

The room was still, listening for anything. Solomon tapped on a computer and activated the recon team's agent cameras. In one, he saw his agents in the night. Their scarves blew in the wind, but they did not move.

There was an intake of breath around him as his scientists saw the screen.

"It's spreading," whispered a scientist.

Solomon whirled on them. _"Move."_ And immediately they got back to work.

Solomon glanced back at the agent-cam and something caught his attention: birds. Doves. They lay limp on the ground, wings outstretched as if they'd been flying. They had been frozen, too, in the middle of their flight, and fallen to the ground.

A horrible, horrible vision passed through his eyes; frozen pilots. There were thousands of aircrafts in the sky at a time. If the pilots of these crafts suddenly froze, those huge, high-speed planes would fall all over the earth.

 _Including this base._

Solomon activated his com. "Put everything on autopilot," he ordered.

"Sir?" an agent asked confusedly.

 _"Now,"_ Solomon's voice had gone deadly. _"Everything."_

"Yes, sir!"

He made another call. "Use G3 authority to ground all flights," he instructed. "Any plane, helicopter, anything that flies, get it on the ground, worldwide, as fast as you can."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir!" a scientist called Solomon's attention. The man pointed to the agent-cam and Solomon saw that something was moving on screen— _the robot._

It was using its eye as a flashlight, bright yellow against the subtly glowing blue of its energy body. It looked right into the agent-cam. Right at _them._

The room froze; as if afraid the robot was looking right through to them.

"The G3 guys are here also," the robot said.

"What are _they_ doing?" That voice was Lance's; it was full of static, a recording of a recording. Lance couldn't be there and not be frozen. The robot had to be speaking to him over a communicator, from far away. According to Solomon's spies, Lance and Ilana were back at their house. They must have sent the robot to inspect…clever of them.

Lance's voice had been full of notable spite. It seemed the alien was still fuming over G3's abduction of them. Solomon felt a small twist of guilt through his focus on the current situation.

On-screen, the robot turned away from the camera and looked around at the other frozen agents. "Nothing."

The robot looked back and forth at the agents and Solomon wondered what it would do—try and hack the G3 technology? Take vengeance while the agents were vulnerable?

The robot walked away. Solomon could briefly hear its footsteps before they faded away. It was gone.

Solomon was glad the aliens were aware of the problem, and were looking into it themselves. But G3 had its own work to do.

"Get back to work," Solomon ordered. His scientists quickly turned back to their computers.

Now for the most important contact. Solomon pulled up a holo-screen that was one way, hiding his message as he typed it up and sent it. _"We need your help."_

His superior took an achingly long time to respond. _"There is nothing I can do."_

Solomon's hands became fists. _"You must try. Can you find out what's causing this? Or how to stop it?"_

Another horribly long wait. _"Not in time."_

"Sir, we're losing contact with more and more of Europe," a scientist called fearfully. Solomon clenched his hand into a fist.

 _"What can we do?"_ Solomon sent.

 _"Nothing you are not already doing."_

Solomon typed in furious anger, his gloves fingers almost banging against the keyboard. _"We are all about to be frozen. The aliens might be, too. All of earth will be helpless."_

Solomon forced himself to remain entirely still as he waited for a response. He was extremely tempted to tap his foot or fingers. Every second, the energy that was causing this frozen hypnotic state was getting closer. He felt the time slip by, like water through his fingers.

Finally; _"Not all."_

Solomon frowned at the response. Did his superior know someone who was immune? How? _"Who?"_

This response came fairly quickly. _"The aliens' robot."_

The _robot?_ It would be alone, and as far as Solomon had seen the robot hadn't shown particular strength in battle like Lance and Ilana had with their armored suits. If both of them were frozen, too, Titan would be unable to form. Without Titan, there was no way to fight the monsters.

The robot was only one thing that could withstand this, and it wasn't even alive. The robot was expected to protect earth on its own?

Solomon couldn't even think of a reply to send to his superior.

And then—there was something _odd._

His vision flashed black for the smallest of seconds, like someone had briefly turned off the lights in the room. His heartbeat skipped once, his lungs became dry, his hands felt stiff all at the same time.

"—it," came over the coms.

Solomon looked up, confused. Some of his scientists had stopped their work and also looked alarmed. Others were continuing like nothing had happened. That odd feeling, and that sound of the agent. Had the agents in France been unfrozen?

 _Ping._ Solomon looked at a new message from his superior. _"It's passed."_

Solomon was confused. He looked at the agent-cam he still had up and was alarmed to see that it was suddenly daylight _._ His agents were looking around, alarmed and confused.

"Sir?" One agent on screen lifted a hand to the side of his helmet. All the scientists looked up, now.

The date and time in the corner of the screen had changed—by a few _days._

Solomon could guess what had happened, but he was skeptical. He hadn't felt like he had been frozen for days. He wasn't hungry or thirsty.

His men were all looking to him questioningly. He paused, still arguing with himself, before he gave up and embraced the truth. "It's over."

An alert popped up. There was a new report of a monster attack in Sherman. Solomon pulled it up and saw on-screen Titan fighting a huge bat-like creature. Titan held a bow, and was knocking arrows to fire at the creature.

This monster had to be what caused this. Solomon watched, unmoving, as Titan aimed true and the arrow blew it up.

It was finished. The creature was destroyed. There was hardly any of its body left to fall back to the ground.

Nevertheless, Solomon pulled out his com again. "Assemble a retrieval team."

He turned away and left the room. The robot had handled it…all on its own.


	7. Episode 15

Fifteen: Disenfranchised

Solomon griped the sides of his chair. His eyes were narrowed, but kept his tone void of emotion. "How could this happen?"

Many spies, strategists, and some of his best agents stood at attention in a circle around him. As he slowly turned his gaze to each of them, all of them remained still and held eye contact, yet many obviously struggled with this. Solomon was in a cold mood.

"In all honesty, sir," one of his bolder spies spoke softly, "…it was only a matter of time."

Solomon stared at the reports; Steel had entered one of his soldiers into Sherman High. He had confiscated the announcing room in the school's field and set up a military operation.

Solomon's agent was right; it _had_ been only a matter of time. Titan and the monsters often appeared in Sherman; it was obviously the center of alien activity. The direct attack a few weeks earlier on the school, by the black monster, had certainly been an indication of the school's importance in this alien activity.

Solomon exhaled slowly through his nose, wishing (not for the first time) that Lance and Ilana had chosen to settle anywhere but a high school. It was horrendously public and populated, by _children_ no less. It made the place extremely difficult to operate in. Perhaps that was the point as to why the aliens had chosen it…a high school was the perfect place to hide.

Solomon cast that thought off quickly; they were there because they _were_ children. There was nothing sinister about it. They weren't using the school as a cover; they _belonged_ there, by their age standards.

Neither Lance nor Ilana were trying to put the school in danger. Ilana had already tried to _help_ the school through changing the menu—a healthy menu that was still in effect and doing well.

"Should we call the general out, sir?" and agent asked. Solomon turned his head to the agent, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "We can claim jurisdiction and force him out of the school."

Solomon shook his head. "Then Steel will _know_ the aliens are there." It was true; if G3 revealed their involvement and observation of the school, Steel would know for sure that something was going on there.

Solomon found himself _afraid_ on Lance's and Ilana's behalf. If they thought G3 had been terrible, they didn't want to know what Steel would do. Solomon already felt that the relationship between earth and the Lunises was damaged after G3's kidnapping. Solomon did not want to hurt that relationship any more than he already had, or else place earth in jeopardy. It would only take one of the Lunises to decide not to help anymore and Titan would be weakened, if available at all. Solomon wouldn't put it past Lance to turn a blind eye to the monsters if he or Ilana were poorly treated. Why risk their own lives to save humans who were a danger to them?

Steel didn't know how fragile all this was. The general could ruin everything. He wouldn't spare the aliens because they were children…like Solomon hadn't.

Solomon folded his arms behind himself for a moment, and then decided. If Steel found the Lunises out, Solomon would make sure it wouldn't be G3's fault. So, spying on them could attract Steel's attention. "Cease _all_ spy activity on the Lunises. Start tracking Steel and his men. Keep watching the Lunises' school attendance and absence and report it all to me."

Solomon swept his gaze over his agents, making sure each understood. "Move."

OOO

In less than an hour, Solomon had a full report on all of Steel's movements. First-Class Private Steve Stevens was the soldier acting as a student. His serial number was 457632. He had red hair and a young-looking face for his age, though he was extremely tall, six feet and five inches. Steel had two other soldiers with him, but only Private Stephens was inside undercover as a student.

G3 was poised on them. Every radio signal Steel sent was intercepted, even private ones. During the night, Solomon had agents break into Steel's temporary control room, the announcer booth. The agents found that every single student of Sherman High was documented there, and Solomon was alarmed to discover Steel's current prime suspect was 'Newton.' The robot G3 had been late in discovering.

Solomon was very concerned how Steel had focused on it so quickly—it had only been a week that the general had been investigating the school. Had Steel himself focused on the robot, or had another soldier pointed it out? Were Lance and Ilana struggling to blend in? Or was it merely their robot?

Solomon had to prepare for the possibility that Steel might figure out who the aliens were. Lance, Ilana, and their robot could all be discovered by the general. What would the aliens do? Steel would not stop until he had caught them. If the aliens wanted to keep their freedom, they would have to move.

G3 could provide help and a safe place, but Solomon knew Lance and Ilana would never accept it. He would just have to keep track of them no matter where they went.

Solomon's com buzzed; "Sir, the Portal has opened and there is a new creature entering earth's atmosphere."

"Watch Steel," Solomon ordered immediately. As the aliens tried to leave the school to face the monster, Steel would be watching out for them. Could they slip away unnoticed? "Hack into Sherman High's database and mark the aliens as present for their next classes." Solomon could help them have an alibi, at least.

Solomon sat down at the head of the control room, feeling the seconds tick by. He worried of how this would all play out. If Steel found the aliens, G3 would have to act quickly. If Solomon made the wrong choice, or timed his actions too late or too soon…

He needed council. He needed advice.

He folded his hands behind his back and turned towards the door. "Alert me immediately if there is any change," he said on his way out. The doors slid closed behind him as he paced down the halls. He twisted and turned, heading deeper into G3 HQ, his path getting darker as he proceeded. Finally he reached the drop of the ladder. He swept down it and turned to face his superior.

"Sir," Solomon tipped his head down slightly, "Have you been watching the reports about General Steel?"

There was a deep, difficult breath. "Yes. I have."

In his pocket, Solomon fiddled his fingers within his glove. "I worry the Lunises will be caught. And I wonder what to do should that happen."

There was a thoughtful pause. "Steel has no evidence to truly pinpoint the Lunises as the aliens. And even if he did and he _did_ confront them…his power to capture them is lax."

Solomon agreed with that, but it did not ease his worries. "If he confronted them, the violence that would break out would be—" Solomon searched for a word "—troublesome." He thought for another moment. "Public. Damaging."

A scenario came into Solomon's mind; Steel marching on Sherman High School, or perhaps the Lunis home, backed by soldiers and tanks. It would be open for everyone to see; Steel was a stealthy as an elephant. Surrounded, the aliens would need to turn on their armors to escape. As they carved a path to get away, they'd leave destruction in their wake. How would people react to seeing their planet's heroic defenders attack their soldiers?

"True," his superior agreed, "but he will not find them in the first place."

"What if he _does?"_ Solomon finally was straightforward.

"I am certain he will not."

"Sir," Solomon insisted, "Steel has already focused on them as prime suspects."

"Be at ease, Solomon. It is good to prepare for the worst…" a labored breathe seemed to carry more meaning than usual, "yet do not lose sight of other possibilities. Watch, Solomon."

Solomon was brought out of his disaster visions by those words. It reminded him of how he'd disobeyed his superior, and captured Lance and Ilana. He still regretted it. He should have obeyed his superior.

He would, now. He would not dismiss the possibility that the aliens would be caught, but he would not be rash in his attempts to stop it.

Solomon nodded slowly. "Yes, sir." He then turned away and headed back to the control room.

OOO

When Solomon returned to the control room, an agent reported that G3 had intercepted a communication between Steel and his Private Stevens. Private Stevens had lost track of the prime suspect—which was the robot. Steel had ordered interrogations on all the students of Sherman High.

Solomon realized his jaw was clenched and forced himself to relax it. Steel still didn't have proof. And perhaps these military interrogations could benefit G3…

Solomon's agents monitored Titan's fight with the latest beast from the satellite. It was an interesting battle, even viewed from such as distance, as Titan created a chain and blade to use the monster's speed against it. The new creature resembled a dragon; snakelike, able to fly, and capable of shooting some kind of red laser from its mouth. Titan used the chain to latch onto the monster; as the beast turned to attack, its own movement pulled Titan out of the way.

The creature flew in circles trying to reach Titan, but Titan tugged on the chain and quickly avoided any attacks. The alien robot cut the monster down to size, shortening it more and more.

After a few swift slices, the battle was over. Despite being cut in half numerous times, the creature had still fought Titan with what remained of itself. Solomon wondered if it could regrow itself from its head, like a worm. He would have it studied closely when its body was retrieved.

With earth yet again safe from alien threats, Solomon returned to his agents spying on Steel. They were listening to Steel's communications when Solomon stepped in. He paused and listened.

"It appears there are three of them, sir," said an unfamiliar voice through the signal. Perhaps that was Private Stevens.

"Good work, soldier." Solomon would recognize General Steel's Southern-American accent anywhere. "Hmmm…three teens, three robots. Now all we have to do is catch them in the act." The transmission cut off.

His agents turned to him, obediently waiting for orders. Solomon had them. "Break into the announcer booth again tonight. Copy Steel's interrogation of the students to our database." They nodded and Solomon left the room.

OOO

His agents found and copied video interrogations ("yearbook interviews," was Steel's cover for them). Solomon was rather glad to have firsthand accounts of what had happened inside the school when the black alien had invaded it. It seemed to have been a team effort of Lance, Ilana, and their robot to defeat the monster.

But also interestingly, an agent had discovered that Lance had joined a band. _Disenfranchised._ Intriguing band name. The word meant 'deprived of the right to vote.' According to Solomon's spies, the band had existed for a few months now; Lance had recently joined it. Disenfranchised had three other members (none of them had been of interest to G3 before now); two guitarists and one drummer.

The band had a performance— _tonight._ At the park where the mechanical dog's legs, the second monster to come to earth, still remained. G3 had left the legs because they had been too difficult to move and seemed to have nothing of interest to them. The population of Sherman also wished to keep them as a memento, and had even done a protest to their removal. G3 had allowed it, unwilling to expose itself by forcing the city to give up the monster parts.

Solomon was certainly interested in this band—what kind of music did aliens enjoy?—but his attention needed to be on Steel.

Solomon paused in the middle of the report. Steel was watching the Lunises, which meant Steel would certainly have _some_ men at the concert. G3 needed to be there and know what was going on.

Solomon was selecting which spies to send when another communication between Steel and Private Stevens was intercepted.

"What do you mean you lost them?" Steel demanded of his private.

"Sorry, sir," Stevens whispered guiltily. "I had to use the latrine. I don't know where they went."

Solomon leaned forward towards the radio device as he heard an odd humming. He'd heard it before…the robot's energy. That odd power object that G3 had found in Lance's car, and that the robot was made of. That material made this sound.

Solomon had just recognized the noise when the communication screeched. Static and high-pitched whistling made the agents beside Solomon jump in surprise. Solomon thought he heard Steel growl through the sound, yet the general's voice was covered up by it.

The robot was blocking off Private Steven's communications. What were the aliens up to? Were they about to reveal themselves? Would they hurt the spy?

No, they were too smart to do that. Solomon didn't think Lance and Ilana would be willing to hurt someone who hadn't hurt them first. So what were they up to? Had they realized their classmate, 'Steve,' was a spy?

The screeching continued and Solomon's men looked at him for any orders. But Solomon stayed still and silent, and so they did as well.

The screeching went on for less than a minute. It cut off, and then Solomon heard Private Steven's heavy breathing. It sounded like he was running, and hadn't realized his communicator was back on. Solomon listened intently as the breathing carried on for a few moments as Stevens ran.

"…Sir?" an agent beside him asked Solomon questionably.

Solomon merely raised a gloved hand for silence, and it was so.

There was a bang like a door closing through the com. "I can't go back there," Private Stevens said through his deep breaths. "It was horrible! There was a bright light and—"

"Snap out of it, soldier!" barked Steel.

Solomon frowned; he was rather interested in what Private Stevens had to say. What had the young man gone through? What had the aliens done? A 'bright light'?

Apparently they'd done something to scare the private, but it sounded like the soldier was uninjured. The Lunises were certainly aware of the military spy, then. Solomon hoped they would be on better guard from this point on.

"Did you lose the subjects?" Steel said slowly, emphasizing through his private's panic.

"Yes," Private Stevens said nervously, "but I know where they'll be tonight." There was a slight pause where Solomon assumed Steel motioned his private to go on. "One of them is in a band, and they have a concert tonight. The subjects will be there, sir."

Another pause, and Solomon thought he could _hear_ Steel thinking on the soundwaves. "We'll get 'em tonight, then." Another pause in which Private Steven's breathing steadied. "Soldier, your com is still on."

As the signal went dead, Solomon slowly pulled away, thinking deeply. This was developing oddly. G3 would be going to infiltrate the concert tonight, with three very important goals. They would spy on Steel, they would spy on the aliens, and they _would not_ get caught. It was vital this time that G3 remained completely secret in this mission. If either Steel or the aliens noticed the spies, while surrounded by the audience of the concert…

The mission would be delicate, but G3 _had_ to be prepared for the worst.

 _"Yet do not lose sight of other possibilities…"_ Solomon's superior's voice echoed through his mind.

Solomon kept the words in mind as he began to order his soldiers to prepare for tonight.

OOO

It took Solomon an hour to arrange his best spies for the concert. His strategists prepared the disguises for infiltration. Solomon doubted the teenagers of Sherman High would notice anything. And he didn't think Steel would see the spies either, but Solomon didn't want to underestimate the general.

Solomon decided to check the labs where the latest monster was being examined. When the alien creatures were too large to examine all at once, G3 scientists split into groups to study parts of it. They took turns with each section. As Titan had sliced this particular monster into pieces, it made the division easy.

The sliding doors opened for Solomon into the largest lab. It was bright white and well lit, and though it was only half as tall as the Titan prison, it was very nearly as big. The monster was in slabs. Its body was diced like a carrot or cucumber. Sections of it were different parts of the room, each piece surrounded by scientists who examined it very closely. The tail end of it was particularly crowded, as the piece had a small mouth.

"Sir," an agent—scientist—stepped up to Solomon immediately. He wore a white lab coat and looked worried—but not about speaking to Solomon. "We have a problem."

Solomon blinked under his googles—a problem? The concert was in less than two hours. He hoped it was something small.

"What kind of problem?" Solomon folded his hands behind his back.

"The head is missing."

…Solomon must have misheard him. He didn't move, not understanding at first. "What?"

"The head of this monster is missing." Solomon noticed the scientist swallow, but his voice was steady. "We are missing a piece—the head."

"How?" Solomon demanded. Had Steel gotten his hands on _another_ piece of alien material?

"Unknown, sir," the scientist glanced off to the side. Solomon didn't look, but he had noticed the head of the retrieval team in that direction when he had walked in.

The retrieval commander came up to them now. So Solomon had been correct. The commander stood at attention; his helmet was off so Solomon could see his face. "Sir, the body of this monster was scattered throughout the park. We scanned the whole area, and had to separate into teams to retrieve it all. There was miscommunication, and each team thought another had the head." The commander took a deep breath. "Even so, we _did_ search the park and found nothing."

"The head might have been destroyed by Titan in the fight," the scientist intervened. But he looked doubtful.

"We need to be sure," Solomon said firmly. But he tensed when he remembered; "Steel will be at Sherman Park tonight, along with many civilians and the Lunises."

A few agents in the room turned to Solomon, looking to him for leadership. They waited while Solomon thought this through. The head of the monster could still be _alive—_ it had survived being cut up. It was attracted by Titan, meaning Lance, Ilana, and their robot. In which case, as all three would be at the concert, the creature would certainly come. And all the people who would be there would be in jeopardy.

But if G3 did anything—shut off the park or move in to search—Steel would immediately be suspicious. No; Steel was a rash man and would likely see G3's actions as reason enough to assume the Lunises were the aliens.

If G3 did nothing and the monster showed up, the Lunises would need to fight it. Yet Steel would be watching them, so how could they without revealing themselves?

The aliens were smarter than Solomon was giving them credit for. They had handled Private Stevens. According to G3 spies, the private refused to return to the school (the park where the performance was taking place was not the school, however). Perhaps the Lunises would find a way to combat the monster and remain hidden. Solomon would give them the opportunity to, at least.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

"Assemble Team Delta."

OOO

Solomon was aboard the _Motherbird_ in the deeper woods of the park. The ship's presence was closely masked as it hovered silently above the forest trees, its dark color blending well into the night. From its position, the city of Sherman was a bright light on the horizon. The two black legs from the monster, where the performance would be, were invisible in the darkness except through G3's night-vision technology. Even with that, the legs looked small from this distance.

Solomon was in constant communication with his spies. They alerted him when Lance's band _Disenfranchised_ arrived, along with Ilana and the robot. Solomon knew precisely how many people were at the concert, and was updated with each new arrival.

Ten minutes before the concert began, Solomon's spies alerted him to eight new cars surrounding the clearing of the monster's legs.

"I count two dozen adult males exiting the cars," Solomon listened to his spy intently. Two dozen—if it were a military unit, that would be a small platoon. "I have visual on General Steel. He is in civilian clothes, as are the new arrivals that are currently stationed behind him. They march professionally in sync." Pause. "They are dispersing into the crowd, separating into pairs."

"Where are the Lunises?" Solomon asked his spy.

"Ilana Lunis and her robot disguised in its Newton form are at the front of the audience," another spy pitched in. "I am watching them now. Lance Lunis should be up on the foot of the creature with his band—no visual yet."

"Sir," the other spy piped up, "Private Stevens has just seen Ilana Lunis and the robot—he's just behind them."

"I see him," the second spy said. "Ilana Lunis and her robot have noticed him, too."

Good. So Ilana was aware that Steel's spy was at the concert. Hopefully she would be able to keep herself and the robot hidden.

"Concert is about to begin, sir, I have visual on Lance Lunis."

Solomon glanced up through the _Motherbird's_ windows at the lights off in the distance. His communicator picked up some of the music; drums and guitar, eventually vocals. The whole concert was being recorded for later study.

"Sir!" a spy barked over com, "Ilana Lunis and the robot are leaving!"

Solomon sat straight up—was the monster nearing the concert? Was Ilana heading to fight it? Would Lance have to abandon his position on stage to join them? How could Steel _not_ notice that?

"Follow them, and watch Steel's men," Solomon ordered.

"In pursuit," the agent agreed.

"No, I see them," a third agent stepped in. "They've come back and have returned to the front."

Solomon tilted his head. Was it a perfectly normal reason for them to leave the concert? A need to retrieve something or one of the robot's 'bathroom breaks?'

A thin flash of bright red streaked the sky only a short distance from the dog monster's legs. Solomon stood immediately and went to the window as the area flashed again.

The monster _was_ here—and alive, and moving.

"Begin approach," Solomon ordered. He swirled on his heel and stalked back to his chair. The _Motherbird_ began to pick up speed, heading for the concert.

Solomon tightened his grip on his chair a little. It seemed the worst was about to pass. Perhaps G3 would have to handle this monster, as the Lunises were spied on and couldn't face it without revealing themselves. Solomon was willing to help them, but in his quest to keep the aliens hidden, he might expose G3. How could he fight the monster secretly with the band's audience so close?

They were halfway to the spot when the monster emerged from the forest, taking to the sky. It was a small fraction of what it had once been.

Yet to Solomon's astonishment, Ilana in her armored form and her robot both appeared, flying after the monster.

"Stop approach!" Solomon shouted. He braced himself as he was nearly wrenched out of his chair as the _Motherbird_ abruptly began to halt.

Solomon lifted a hand to com his spies. "Agents; where are the Lunises?"

"Unmoved, sir," a spy said calmly, unaware to what Solomon had just seen. "Ilana Lunis and her robot remain at the front, and Lance Lunis is still preforming."

Solomon dropped his hand and looked out towards Ilana and Octus. They were flying low for a moment, but then, in a flash, Lance's armor appeared in midair.

But Lance hadn't been there.

A thought occurred to Solomon; "Turn on infrared vision."

His agents obeyed, and the screen turned mostly pink with the night sky. There were three puddles of other colors, however; one showed up as the yellow-red silhouette of Ilana's armor. The second was the robot, that appeared green and slightly yellow, except for its core which showed as red. The third was the monster alien, which was a mesh of colors between its fur to its occasional laser from its mouth, which was white in the infrared.

Lance's armor did not show up.

Solomon returned to his spies' com. "View the Lunises through infrared."

"Yes, sir," an agent said, his voice little questioning and curious. Solomon waited and felt the agents around him in the _Motherbird_ listening in. The spy spoke again a moment later, now sounding confused and awed. "Sir, they…they aren't appearing on infrared. It's as if they aren't there."

"Lance Lunis appears," another agent said.

Solomon looked back up at the _Motherbird's_ screen, still showing the infrared view. Ilana and her robot lifted their arms and shot streaks of white at the monster.

"They're holograms," Solomon breathed. "Lance's armor, and Ilana and the robot at the concert…they are holograms."

Solomon slowly leaned back. Ingenious. With the holograms as decoys, Steel would not discover the Lunises. But a hologram could not play an instrument, so Lance had to remain behind. Ilana and her robot fought the monster, with a hologram of Lance's armor.

Solomon hadn't even known they had this technology.

"Turn off infrared," Solomon said softly. "Maintain position, and watch."

"Sir," a spy reported through coms just as the infrared viewing was shut off. "General Steel is ordering an evacuation…he is not being listened to. The children believe the fight above is a part of the concert show." Pause. "He is leaving with his men."

Good. Solomon was glad the general was leaving; with the trigger-happy general out of the way, everyone was much safer.

So, the aliens had handled it, without the help of G3. Steel was off their trail. Solomon couldn't have hoped for better.

Solomon took the opportunity to watch the fight with the monster. He rarely got to watch one in person. He was confident Ilana and her robot would win, even without Lance or Titan. They had beaten so much already and proven their strength and skill. This was a chance to marvel at the aliens before him without worrying about the dangers.

Solomon admired their technology yet again. Ilana's shields, powerful lasers, and the robot's electrical zaps still awed him. The hologram of Lance's armor was flawless as it flew beside them, occasionally lifting its arms as if it were attacking. It dodged the monster's lasers very realistically, and flew alongside the robot. Perhaps it was the robot that was projecting the holograms…

Ilana, her robot, and the hologram of Lance's armor dived under the monster's blasts and swirled around the concert's legs. The light of the concert caught on their metal, leaving brilliant streaks behind them as the flew. Solomon couldn't blame the audience for thinking it was a show rather than a deadly battle.

Ilana and her robot were easily avoiding the monster's blasts, yet their own attacks had little effect. Solomon was considering stepping in to help them after all. Lance and Ilana still hated G3 for Solomon's kidnapping of them—perhaps assistance would build goodwill?

But then, just as the monster's mouth began to glow with a new laser strike, Ilana and the robot fired on it together. The energy within the monster built up, and the creature exploded.

As the white light began to fade, Solomon relaxed. The Lunises remained hidden, Steel had failed, and the monster had finally been vanquished. There wasn't even any of it to retrieve. G3 was done here.

"Return to base."


	8. Episodes 16 & 17

Sixteen: Escape from Galaluna

 **Another flashback episode! No Solomon here.**

Seventeen: Under the Three Moons

Solomon wondered what the aliens thought of snow. People of earth who lived in warm climates, tropical or desert for example, never saw snow and thus were filled with wonder or fear when they encountered it. Other people lived in very cold areas and saw snow as a constant annoyance.

Solomon believed there had to be snow on the Lunis' home planet. All life needed water, and the Lunises were very close to humans physically as far as G3 could tell. What was the climate like on their planet? Hot, cold, or varied throughout like earth? How often did they see snow, and what did they think of it? Wonderful or annoying?

Solomon's internal questions for the aliens were normally more dramatic than this. He was filled with curiosity when it came to these aliens, but most of his queries were about their world, technology, and purpose. Not about something as trivial as weather. Yet these smaller-scale questions struck him as he was looking out on the cold sky from the control room's large glass wall, at the endless clouds below. It was snowing presently, but G3 HQ was far too high to experience it.

Solomon enjoyed the snow, and after the events of the past months he had grown a new appreciation for it. He had always liked the cold and calm of winter. It was quiet and crisp. He supposed that was why he was interested in outer space as well.

With the winter season came a peace over earth; no alien monsters had come in quite a few weeks. Solomon wondered if it was because the aliens did not like the cold, or perhaps their own planet was going through a temperature change they was blocking them from coming. Yet he had no data; G3 knew nothing of what happened on the other side of the Portal, where all the aliens came from. For now, it was closed and there was no trace of alien activity.

So G3 enjoyed a break from the action. It was almost like the aliens had never come; there were no alien bodies to clean up, no unfamiliar technology to research, and no monsters to battle. Things were as they had been before the Lunises first landed in their blue rocket. G3 returned to what it had been doing before the alien arrivals beginning months ago. Scientists researched on how to improve technology, tweaking the G3 fighter jets and even working on the _Motherbird._ Agents trained, mostly in the simulators provided for such purposes, and monitored the G3 space station satellites off-world.

None of these other priorities distracted G3 from the Lunises, however. But there was little to learn over the December weeks.

As if the mere thought had jinxed it, Solomon's com buzzed to alert him of a fresh spy report. Not turning away from the window, Solomon activated his holo-screen and began to read. His spies had seen fit to notify him that Ilana had become president of the Homecoming Committee.

That was interesting—the Lunises did not go out for clubs. G3 watched every bit of Sherman High; from book clubs to student council to the cheerleading troop, and the Lunises were not a part of any of them. (Solomon did not know if Ilana had tried out for the cheerleading troop or not, as the blob monster had attacked the day of tryouts and G3 spies had been unable to swipe the list of participants. If Ilana _had_ tried, she had not gotten in.)

Why was Ilana interested in the Homecoming Dance? Did the aliens do dances on their home world?

 _Home_ world.

 _Home_ coming.

Solomon paused as that thought hit him. He didn't know why the Lunises were here, but he knew they were only children. Ilana especially was kind and gentle spirit. She _had_ to miss her home, and this dance, which centered on the idea of home, had to remind her of it. So she had joined the committee in charge of it to be involved with the dance.

She was coping with her homesickness through this dance. But what would she do with such an event? How would she pour her emotions into a high school dance?

Solomon looked up from the report, back to the window and outside. The blue sky was a lighter, colder shade than usual, and the clouds below did not open to reveal earth's surface for miles. Solomon remembered of how it was snowing below, though G3 HQ was too far above the clouds to experience it.

He tilted his head, thinking for a moment as he watched the clouds drift below. As head of the Homecoming Committee, Ilana would majorly be in charge of decorations. Would she do choose a theme similar to her home planet?

Solomon brought the report back up and began to issue an order; once the Homecoming dance was over, he wanted everything Ilana had made. Every balloon and scrap of confetti would be taken by G3.

OOO

Things continued to be peaceful up to the dance. Ilana spent all her afternoons, even weekends, at the school, preparing for her Homecoming. It made it easy for the G3 spies to keep track of her. But on the night when her work would finally paid off, the Portal opened and a new creature came speeding to earth.

Solomon could not believe the timing. The dance was only _minutes_ from starting. For one instinctive moment he wondered if the Lunises would wait until after the dance to fight it, but Solomon's logic kicked in and he knew they would never do that. They would not let a monster roam free and hurt earth simply for a high school dance. And yet, considering how important this dance seemed to Ilana, Solomon wished they could. She had been working for _weeks._

Sure enough, few minutes after the creature landed, Titan appeared outside of Sherman and began to head to the crash site.

Solomon sat down in the control room, preparing to watch this next fight. Since it had been more time than usual since the last monster had attacked, would this one be especially strong?

"Pull up Titan on the satellite," Solomon ordered.

"Sir," an agent objected, "due to the cloud cover, we can't get a visual on the area."

Solomon straightened. "Where has the creature crashed?"

"A windmill field, many miles outside Sherman. It would take us forty-five minutes to reach it from here."

Solomon clenched his jaw; the fight would be over by then.

G3 hadn't been able to view all the fights Titan got into. They hadn't been able to view the fight shortly after Lance and Ilana's abduction by G3, nor the battle against the frog-creature that had come in a ship. The Lunises had triumphed in both battles; _every_ battle.

Solomon had confidence in them. He would have preferred to watch the battle, but there was no indication that Titan would lose this fight.

There was still work for G3 to do, however. "Prepare a retrieval team," Solomon ordered. "Place surveillance at the Lunis household and alert me when they return to it. Continue with the plans to retrieve the Sherman High dance decorations."

He stood and strode out.

OOO

By the afternoon of the next day, G3 had used an extra display room to set up everything Ilana had made for the Sherman Homecoming Dance. Solomon's agents knew where everything had been and had recreated the scene. They had even built bleachers like the ones in Sherman High's gymnasium, covered the floor with smooth wood planks and painted on the Sherman High logo, and built fake windows that imitated the dark, snowy outside.

When Solomon walked into the room, he felt as if he had left the entire HQ behind. It was exactly like Sherman High's gymnasium on the night of the Homecoming Dance.

Solomon couldn't help but be impressed with Ilana's work—there were streamers and ribbons that covered the ceiling in well-matching colors. The thickness of the decorations overlapped near the edges of the room so the walls were barely visible in the dim lighting. It gave the illusion that the space went on forever.

There were four large bulbs set on the edges of the room, slightly taller than a person, that looked like huge flowers just about to open up. A swirling pattern was hand-drawn onto them and their tips were bursting with ribbons.

The room was lit in mostly standard ways one would expect at a high school dance. There was a mirror ball that speckled the room with gentle rays of illumination. Most light in the room changed color, each shade complimenting the rest of the decorations. Lanterns hung from the ceiling provided dim, star-like light.

There was a beautiful painting against one side of the room of a clear night sky. Distant snow-capped mountains were below the gentle starry sky. Fake, glittery snow was gathered at the foot of the canvas as if snow from the painted mountains had somehow leaked into the real world. Large cardboard cutouts a short distance from the painting also gave the same impression—and among the cutouts, there were two cardboard people smiling a few feet from the actual paintings.

These people looked human and smiled happily in frozen display. One was knelt over a basket, with one hand waving towards its observers. Another one, a woman, held baskets of fruit on both on her head and in her hands.

Solomon leaned down before the kneeling cardboard cut-out and looked at it closely. Was this supposed to be an alien? Or had Ilana edited it to be human? Both Ilana and Lance appeared human; if this was their home planet, would there be humans there as well? Was there any difference between earth humans and these aliens?

Solomon turned away from it and looked up at the mountainous painting. There was a building on one of the peaks, but it was too small for any details of it to be made out. The _real_ beacon of architecture of Ilana's creations was the palace.

Behind the main stage of the dance floor was a magnificent white and red palace. Ilana had made the palace out of four large parts—the largest piece was furthest while the other three parts were propped up before it to give the palace dimensions. The palace had gaping windows and tall columns. Lights were strung underneath, giving it a blinding radiance that shined like nothing else in the room.

Solomon had long dreamed of visiting another alien culture. It was one of the purposes of G3—to find other life out in the universe. Since Lance and Ilana had come, he knew it _was_ out there. He wasn't sure if he would ever get to see it, but here, here he saw some shadow replication of it.

Solomon spent hours in that display room, under the glittering three moons Ilana had sculpted to remind her of home.


	9. Episode 18

Eighteen: A Family Crisis

The _Motherbird_ was unavailable for use. It was still being remodeled by G3 scientists, even as the snow faded and spring came. Sherman was in a warmer area, and thus did not experience long or difficult winters.

Solomon much rather be using his own ship for this mission. The _Motherbird_ held the most weapons of the G3 air force and was the most durable and defendable. When heading into an unfamiliar situation, the _Motherbird_ was Solomon's choice ship.

This was an unfamiliar situation, and the _Motherbird_ was unavailable.

G3 HQ had received a distress message from the space station orbiting Saturn. The message had been short, demanding help and describing a creature that was attacking the station before the speaker had been cut off. The description had been brief—only that the creature was "light" and no weapons seemed to affect it.

Was the creature from the Portal? Was this one of the monsters Titan attracted and fought? Why hadn't G3 detected it? Why was it all the way out here?

No matter where it had come from or why it was on Saturn, Solomon and a dozen of his best agents were blasting off to face it. Even if they could not defeat the creature, hopefully they could rescue the agents still on the space station—and get more information on the monster.

Would the Lunises be willing to fight a monster that was all the way out here? Did they even know it _was_ here? Would G3 have to tell them and finally face the mistrust Solomon had caused from the aliens?

Solomon was certain the Lunises could handle whatever creature was at the station. He was almost tempted to ask them for help, yet guilt and fear of rejection stayed his hand. He knew Lance and Ilana still hated G3 and would be appalled at the idea of helping them. Solomon decided to check it out for himself first. He would call the Lunises once he knew what this creature was.

The trip to the station from the hovercraft he had to use took several hours. The _Motherbird_ did not travel faster than any other ship G3 had, but the wait seemed longer in the much smaller ship.

When Solomon and his agents finally arrived, they had trouble actually _finding_ the station. If the station had been active, it would have recognized and hailed them immediately. It was cloaked (by technology invented by Solomon's superior) to prevent any astronomers on earth from seeing it. The fact that it was not contacting them was not a good sign.

If the hovercraft had to find the station on its own, it would take even more hours, possibly even days. Yet as the craft began scanning, it took only a few minutes…because the station wasn't cloaked.

It was still well-hidden within the rings of Saturn. But the station was _always_ meant to be cloaked. Something must be very wrong.

Solomon put on his spacesuit along with his agents. His suit was custom; it showed his face while his agents' suits were masked and very similar to their usual uniform.

When the hovercraft docked, Solomon slowly led his agents into the station. The lights were off, as was the gravity. According to readings, almost all energy of the station was abruptly gone. That didn't make sense—there were many backup generators on this station. On _every_ station G3 built.

They kept their guns up, and moved as a circle, at least one agent watching every direction.

"Sir, the oxygen on this station is depleting fast," one agent informed him.

That meant there was a leakage somewhere. With a monster roaming these halls, Solomon wasn't surprised. Someone might still be able to survive on this station without a spacesuit for a little longer, but soon the station would be just as inhabitable as space.

There was a faint energy signal up ahead—the only signal of energy in the entire station. Was it an agent? Or the monster?

They continued down the corridors. His agents were on hair-trigger, ready for any kind of attack.

There was a faint sound ahead of them, and all the agents whirled their blasters towards the noise. But as the blaster's lights illuminated the next room, there was no monster there.

Agents' bodies were sprawled out on the ground. They were dead.

Solomon froze for a mere second in horror—what had done this? They were all in spacesuits so not all injuries would be visible (bruising, for example). Solomon saw no injuries, no blood, no damage to the bodies. It was as if they had all dropped dead.

One body against the wall reached out to them weakly. Solomon was at his side in an instant, and his agents quickly took watch around him.

The survivor was not a field agent, but a scientist. His spacesuit showed his face rather than the agent mask. He was almost out of oxygen.

One survivor—someone who could finally tell Solomon exactly what had happened and what they were up against. Solomon removed the man's helmet and drew the oxygen mask from his own spacesuit for the scientist. The scientist seemed to recover with each new breathe.

Solomon was already speaking as he tended to the survivor. "We've received your message and got here as quickly as we could. What happened?"

The scientist looked at Solomon, eyes half closed. He was on the edge of consciousness. _"En….en…"_

He was trying to say something, but the man was fading. Solomon _had_ to find out what he was trying to say before the scientist passed out.

"What is it?" Solomon encouraged.

The scientist's eyes turned wide and haunted. " _En…..energy!"_

Shots rang out and Solomon turned to a bright light down the corridor. He agents were attacking, rapidly firing at a creature that sparked electricity. It drew closer, striking as quick as a snake and two agents went down.

Solomon drew his blaster but felt something at his side shift. He turned back to the scientist just as the survivor lifted his hand with the last ounce of his strength and removed the oxygen mask.

The scientist looked up at Solomon, gasping on the little air in the station. _"Run."_

The scientist fell over, soon to be dead if not already. Solomon was no longer tethered to him. The scientist had taken off the air mask so that Solomon had a better chance at survival.

Solomon allowed a brief moment of regret wash over him before he turned on the creature and joined his agents in the attack. Solomon backed away from the creature, firing his blaster uselessly against it.

The creature had no form—it was like a living lightning bolt. It drew over the fallen agents and its sparks seemed to surround their bodies. What was it doing?

"Sir, you have to run!" an agent called to Solomon. "Call for help!"

Solomon glanced at the agent and knew he was right—G3 couldn't face this creature. All these men had died trying.

Solomon nodded to the agent and bolted down the halls. He heard the sound of shots and a screeching fading behind him as he ran. Perhaps his agents could survive long enough for the help to reach them, like the scientist had.

Solomon hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst.

He did not slow down the whole way to the hovercraft. There was no way to escape in it—it required multiple people to pilot it, and Solomon was alone now.

But he still could use it to call for help.

Yet what would the point of that be? G3's weapons had no effect on the creature. If more agents came, more would die.

When Solomon turned into the hovercraft he stopped in his tracks. The lights of the ship weren't on. Why weren't they on?

Solomon mentally shook himself out of it and ran forward into the craft. It was dark inside. He headed to the bridge, trying a light switch as he went. A few stray sparks briefly lit up the lights, like the last twitches of a dead body, but there was nothing else. The power was dead.

What had happened? What had made the ship become just like the rest of the station?

 _"Energy,"_ the survivor's last word bubbled to the front of Solomon's mind.

It was an _energy_ creature. It had absorbed the power from the station. And while Solomon and his agents had been searching for survivors, it had come here and stolen the energy from the hovercraft.

Could the craft still send a signal?

Another thought struck Solomon; the spacesuits recharged on this ship. The spacesuits could last an hour or two on their own, but they needed to be recharged, and there was no power on this station or this ship anymore.

Which meant that even if Solomon _could_ call for help from G3, there was no way his agents would reach him in time.

But there were others who could. Solomon had seen them travel to the edge of the system in mere minutes. But would they be willing to come? Would they help?

It was Solomon's only option. They were the only ones who _could_ help.

But Solomon had to call them first. He might not be able to do it with the ship drained of power.

He rushed on to the bridge. His agents had stayed behind to keep the creature occupied, but Solomon knew that would only be temporary. Eventually the creature would return to the ship, looking for energy….for _his_ energy.

Solomon quickly activated the communications of the ship and was astonished to see it was still working. His surprise was cut through when he saw that the power was almost completely drained. The creature hadn't quite finished feeding when it had left the ship. That was all the more reason for it to return soon.

Any signal Solomon sent out would be weak. But it was his only hope.

He programmed in the address to the Lunises—G3 had all their information they could get. While the Lunis' com devices remained a mystery, they did have an earth landline that seemed to be attached somehow to their robot. Solomon was sure they would get this message.

"There isn't much time," he said, glancing out the window to see if the creature was coming yet. "I'm running out of life support. Please help," he couldn't think of a reason why they would help him but he had to try, because "You're the only ones who can."

He wished he could have said more, warn them about the creature they were coming to face, but the power staggered and the message cut off.

There was still a bit of energy left, however. Solomon had one last message to send.

He began to prepare one for G3 HQ. "Abandon this base," he ordered, "There is a creature here that none of our weapons are effective against. Do not attempt any rescues," Solomon did not want to die but was unwilling to lose more of his agents to that thing. "I—"

There was a bright flash outside the window. Solomon leapt back as the creature flew into the dock and sped towards the hovercraft. He saw it enter the craft and knew it was heading for him.

Solomon would not wait for it, however. He drew his blaster and shot out the window. The glass was meant to endure space and it took a few shots to finally break it. Each blaster was precious—his only energy, now, his life support. But if he didn't get out of this hovercraft, the creature would get him and then…he wouldn't need the life support.

The glass shattered and Solomon leapt out. He dropped a good distance before he landed and broke into a run back into the station. The creature was still in the ship behind him. He didn't stop when he darted back down the corridors, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the creature.

Solomon had to do his best to survive as long as he could, even if Lance and Ilana weren't coming. In truth, he didn't think they would. He still remembered his torture and manipulation of them. But he had to hope for the best and do his part—they couldn't rescue him if he died before they got here.

That meant he needed to recharge his suit. He oxygen levels were still relatively high, but it would only last two hours at most. Undoubtedly less so, as he was running through the station and using up more of it with his labored breathing.

The power from the station was gone, yet it had numerous backups systems that could restart it. If Solomon could reenergize the batteries, he could recharge his suit and perhaps even send another call before the creature drained the station again.

That plan in mind, Solomon changed his course. He wished he knew how far the creature was behind him.

Unwilling to needlessly waste oxygen, Solomon slowed his run to a walk. He relaxed his breathing and calmed his heart. He was very good at keeping a cool head in life-or-death situations. He would likely die here on this station, completely alone.

It would be reckless not to let that thought disturb him. He was the head of G3, he called all the shots, and he had no idea who would take over after him. His superior controlled things from the shadows, and Solomon was the only one to interact with him. There were a handful of agents that provided his superior with food and other necessities, but they never spoke to his superior or knew much about him. What would Solomon's superior do if Solomon was gone?

Everyone who came to G3 knew the risks. The Galactic Guardian Group was a higher calling to protect all humanity against the threat of other life in the universe. Each agent would lay down their lives to protect earth without hesitation. And they trusted and obeyed Solomon without question—in their eyes, he was the creator of G3. In truth, Solomon's superior had truly made the agency.

Solomon's superior wouldn't step up to lead openly, however. So who else would the agents follow with such dedication?

Solomon could only hope his superior would find someone, as he had once found Solomon.

Solomon reached the power room of the station. He moved silently, still unaware of where the creature could be.

The room was badly damaged. There was a large gash torn in the wall that opened out into space—this room was completely uninhabitable. Had this been where the creature had first entered the space station? Had it torn in through that hole?

Now was not the time to wonder. Solomon turned to the controls and paused when he saw an agent's body leaned up against them. The agent was dead, his oxygen depleted. Solomon squashed the thought that in a few hours, he might join him.

Gently, Solomon moved the body aside and began to work on the engines. He had memorized how each of these stations worked, and pulled each of the necessary cranks and keys to get everything up and running again.

…There was no response.

Solomon waited, for both some kind of reaction of the station and for a sound of the creature. But there was only total silence.

Solomon did it again. And again. He tore open the innards of the engine and tried to find the problem. He even tried to jump it with energy from his own spacesuit, but there was nothing. All technology was dead.

Solomon stared at the wires and tools, but the problem was nothing like what he had never encountered before. There was nothing to fix—it was all in perfect condition. It just wouldn't respond.

He now had thirty minutes until he ran out of oxygen.

Movement caught Solomon's eye. He turned to the opening in the wall and saw a spark that almost looked like a star. But it was rapidly getting closer, and though Solomon had asked them to come, he was still surprised to see it.

Titan, in its space form, was heading straight for the station. Its speed was incredible—in moments it was flying over the station, its massive wings casting a bigger shadow as it moved, yet it shined spotlights to look at the darkened station.

Solomon didn't know how to signal it— _them._ He had no power or lights. He grabbed onto the edge of the wall and leaned out of the gap to get a better look.

Titan paused over another tear in station. It looked in for a moment before, in a bright flash, it was gone. Solomon briefly saw Lance and Ilana in their armored forms and their robot enter the station.

Solomon paused for a moment, working out his mental map of the station, and then turned back inside. He had to get to them and warn them of the creature.

And…since Solomon had less than half an hour on his oxygen supply, he had to tell them to leave. They shouldn't have bothered.

He went back through the corridors at a jog. Hopefully the creature hadn't seen Titan approach too.

He was certain he had reached the opening they entered through when he heard the hum—the electrical hum of the creature.

Solomon froze—it had been attracted to them. That was why it was near this part of the station where they had arrived. Perhaps it had seen them arrive, or maybe it was drawn to them like all the monsters that plagued earth. Solomon had to warn them.

He ran down the corridors, following the sound. He saw a flashing light up ahead—Lance and Ilana were in their armored forms, facing off with the creature the creature.

If the creature took their energy the same way it had from this base, there would be no Titan!

Solomon rushed towards them as Ilana lifted her arms, bringing up her energy shield as the creature charged at her. As the creature swooped over her like an electrical ocean wave, her shield sparked out and shattered after the monster passed across it. But she seemed unharmed.

As the creature flew over Ilana, it arched itself and looked down on the robot like a snake about to strike. The robot shot out lightning from its hands to attack, but it had no effect on the creature. The creature dived down upon the robot—

Solomon finally reached them and leapt into the air, tackling the robot to the side as the creature swooped past them down the corridor. The robot was surprisingly hard for not having a solid form; it had no give. With the way the robot flexed its energy-form around, Solomon had imagined it would feel like a balloon, but he had been wrong. The two of them tumbled against the wall.

Solomon pushed himself up and whirled to face the creature. It was down the hall from its charge, but was starting to turn around to come back at them.

 _"Solomon,"_ Lance growled. Solomon did not miss the spite in Lance's voice. So, despite the fact that the Lunises had come to save him, they still held their grudges. Solomon couldn't blame them, but he felt a twang of disappointment and shame.

He pushed the emotion aside. He hadn't been able to warn them in his short distress call; now he had to. "The creature feeds off any form of energy. It has drained everything from the space station."

"Time to go," said Lance. Lance's robotic form lifted its arms and bullets shot out of its wrists at the ceiling above the creature. The station rumbled unstably under Solomon's feet and he took a step back. The ceiling gave way and collapsed onto the creature.

Solomon didn't hesitate in this chance to escape. Trusting that the Lunises were behind him, he turned and ran back down the hall. He could hear their heavy mechanical footsteps as he ran. Lance's robotic form was so large it tore through some parts of the station, busting through a narrow doorway that was too small for it.

Solomon didn't think the creature was dead. G3 agents had fought it even before Solomon came, and none of their weapons had worked. But it might delay the creature long enough for them to escape.

Solomon jumped over a fallen pillar, leading the aliens through the station. Ilana and her robot easily flew over the obstacle, while Lance stomped through it.

Solomon reached a drop off of the station and came to a halt. They weren't safe yet; Solomon had to get the Lunises away from the creature before he tried to explain anything. He knew he was running out of oxygen—and time.

He had to warn them of this, though. "There's more. I've tried to reenergize the drained batteries but they won't respond. Everything that the creature absorbs seemed to be permanently dead." Solomon couldn't see Lance or Ilana's expressions through their armor, but he sensed their unease. That was understandable; their armor was essential to their personal protection. Without it, they would have died long ago, from the aliens monsters, Steel's military, or even G3.

"You've got to power down yours suits," Solomon insisted, "and get this robot out of here." He pointed to the robot but was unsure of where it could go. Nonetheless, Solomon knew it was important. The robot was required to make Titan, and so it had to be kept out of the creature's reach.

In order to survive, they needed to limit their electricity. The creature went after whatever energy it detected; this station, the ship Solomon had come in, his team of agents, and the Lunises just now. Solomon wasn't sure how it found these power sources, but it obviously tracked down and hunted them. They had to limit their energy to keep it from sensing them.

There was a sound down the hall.

All of them turned and froze, looking for the creature. The corridors were dark, however, and there was no light of the creature.

None of the Lunises said anything, at least not that Solomon could hear. Perhaps they were speaking over their own private channel. He stayed silent, waiting for them to come to a decision.

A dim light weakly disturbed the darkness behind them; Solomon couldn't tell if it was the creature or not, but it was far away. The creature hadn't quite found them yet, but they needed to move.

There was a flash of light as both Lance and Ilana turned off their armored suits, switching into alien spacesuits. Both were deep blue with veins of lighter blue wrapping around them. Their helmets were almost like bubbles over their heads.

"We have to move," Solomon said, his mind eerily echoing back to when he had been acting as Kane, leading Lance and Ilana through G3 HQ. But he wouldn't prod them for information like he had before. Too much was at stake.

Part of him still couldn't believe they had come. Why would they come to rescue him when he had caused them so much pain? They didn't seem happy about it, Lance in particular, but they were still _here._

Solomon swung over the edge of the drop and began to climb down. The creature was still on their heels and they needed to get some distance. Ilana climbed down after him, as did Lance. The robot merely levitated to the bottom and waited for them there.

When Solomon dropped down, the robot withdrew its arms and legs, it energy-body merely becoming an orb around its core. Its wires withdrew into the core to make it more compact, and its yellow eye glowed brighter into a light, illuminating their way.

Solomon paused for a moment, watching the robot, briefly fascinated by its design and abilities. Yet Solomon didn't say anything and merely turned away to move forward.

There was a wide pipeline Solomon led them through. They all had to duck into it to fit. Solomon didn't know if the creature could fit through it, or change its own size to make itself fit, but this was worth a try to keep it away.

The robot slid over Solomon's shoulder, brushing against him, and took the lead as it had the light. When they reached the end of the pipeline, the robot cracked it open for them. When Solomon was out, he began to run again. The robot still led the way, lighting their path with its glow. It moved only a few inches ahead of Solomon, and adjusted its path on the smallest of Solomon's movements, allowing him to be the guide.

Solomon's heart was pounding achingly against his chest and his lungs were dry. He had to stop, and he knew now he was on the last few breaths of his oxygen. He finally halted his running, and had to bend over, putting his hands on his knees. His head was blurry with pain. This was the CO2 poisoning—he was breathing in air he'd already used.

Lance did not pause at Solomon's weakness. "Why did you bring us here if you knew what we would be up against?" Lance demanded.

Solomon took a deep breath, preparing for speech. "I hoped that your weapons would be more effective…" He had thought they could have beaten this creature like they had every other one. But he had placed them in danger and couldn't expect them to risk themselves to save him. They had to get out of here.

"I'm sorry," Solomon said, "I was wrong. You should just—go…" his lungs felt like that had shrunk to the size of raisins. One of his legs gave out from under him and his vision was going black. "Leave me behind."

Blood pounded in his ears, blocking out anything the Lunises might have said. His spacesuit felt hot and clammy, and his throat constricted as he choked, his body still trying to breathe.

Solomon blacked out, and didn't expect to wake up again.

OOO

Solomon gasped in air and blinked rapidly. The robot was leaning over him with a few orbs and wires extending out of it like balloons. The purple wires were linked to Solomon's spacesuit, and they quickly withdrew as Solomon woke up.

The air was clean and full. Solomon still trembled slightly from his blackout, but he knew, through hard training, how to press on through the ache.

He pushed himself up as the robot stepped back from him and Lance and Ilana approached. They had their robot replenish his oxygen—why?

Did they have limited oxygen? Their spacesuits were slender compared to G3's more bulky models, and Solomon didn't see air tanks on either of them. And even after their run from the creature, Lance and Ilana seemed to have no problem with oxygen.

The _robot_ had given Solomon the air. But it was not alive and so had no need for such a thing. So why would it carry air with it? It had to have _made_ the air. The aliens must have a way to make an unlimited supply of oxygen.

 _Fascinating._

But now was not the time to investigate this advanced technology. Why had they done this? Solomon almost wished they hadn't; if he was going to die here, he might as well get it over with. Now he had a few more hours of life merely to run from the creature. He could not see the point.

Solomon immediately shook off such thoughts. He would press on, even if it was pointless. There was always a chance, even when he could not see it.

"Thanks…" he said awkwardly to the three aliens. Despite the fact that there was no point in saving him, Solomon genuinely appreciated the gestor. He had been ready for death but they had used their advanced technology to save him, and they seemed to do it without question. It did not matter to them that he had treated them terribly; they still saved any life they saw when it was in danger.

Still, they had to leave. They were Titan, the defenders of earth. They had to get out of here to be safe and thus protect humanity.

…Not only that. None of this was their fault. They _could_ leave, and thus live, but it was Solomon who was holding them back. There was no point in them dying, too. "I think maybe you should go."

"No," the robot said abruptly. "We won't sacrifice one life for another. We will have to find another way out of this."

Lance and Ilana jumped a little at the words and Solomon wondered if the robot had just spoken out of turn.

Lance looked at Ilana. "I thought you bypassed—"

The robot interrupted; "I found another way."

So all of them were in agreement; they weren't going to trade lives, even Solomon's. He couldn't help but think he deserved it. Lance and Ilana saw him as their enemy, and rightfully so after all he'd done. They obviously cared for each other, even the robot, more than him.

But their personal care for each other meant nothing in this. They valued the life, no matter whose it was.

Solomon stared at them, shocked by this new revelation of their values. That was the opposite of G3. G3 was to protect the earth as a whole, and they acknowledged how that meant there needed to be sacrifices sometimes.

Solomon had been willing to trade lives and morals—he had tortured Lance and Ilana, two _children_ , unprovoked, because he thought it might save the earth. He had been willing to kill them if necessary.

That was his job. That was his _purpose._ He would do whatever it took to protect the earth.

And yet, these aliens would risk their own lives to save even an enemy, even someone who had proven to be a threat to them, simply because it was the right thing.

Solomon had to say something. But he couldn't decide whether to insist they leave and save themselves, express his gratitude for heroism, or beg for forgiveness for his treatment of them.

He didn't know what to do.

A bright spark interrupted him. In a mere second, Solomon locked away his shock to process later; there was no time for it now. He needed to be ready for action.

The creature's light came through down the corridor. It had found them.

"Look." He alerted each of them to the creature's coming presence. Both Lance and Ilana tensed, and then all of them turned to run the opposite way of the creature.

Solomon glanced back over his shoulder as he heard its hum get closer—the creature had seen them and was rapidly heading towards them.

"Look out!" the robot called.

The creature leapt up and came down upon them as they scattered to avoid it. The shapeless electrical body of the creature splashed out like water in all directions, reaching for them.

Solomon braced himself against a wall and whirled around to face it. But he saw its lightning-bolt of a limb reaching for him and he jumped out of its reach.

The creature turned its attention away from him, however, and its whole body focused on the robot. It snapped at it as the robot extended its legs, drawing itself higher to avoid the creature. The creature whirled on it again and the robot continued to flex out of its way.

"We have to get out of here before it gets Octus!" Ilana cried. Solomon glanced at the two aliens and saw the fear in their expressions just before Lance lifted his hand to his wrist and turned on his armor.

After the brief flash of light before the alien armor appeared before Solomon, Lance drew an ax and swung it into a wall of the station, cutting through the metal and making a doorway for them.

Lance immediately turned off the armor to protect it from harm from the creature. He turned back and waved a hand at the robot. "Octus! This way!"

The robot continued to twist and turn out of the creature's reach. As Solomon, Lance, and Ilana jumped through Lance's hole, the robot spiraled towards them and abruptly scooped them up.

Solomon staggered as the robot enveloped him in its energy-body. The transparent blue shell of its body swept over him, feeling like a warm splash of water even through the spacesuit. The robot had taken a large orb-form to hold them all, and its body beneath Solomon's feet was solid and stable.

Lance and Ilana were inside, too, leaning against the other sides of robot-ball to stay standing. The robot speed forward at incredible speed, darting over the ground. Solomon glanced up and saw the robot's core above them. He was almost tempted to reach out and touch it, see what it felt without its energy-shield body, but they were still escaping. Solomon had to snap out of his awe at this new alien experience and remember what was going on around him.

The creature was right behind them. Solomon turned as saw its electrical body only a few feet away behind them. If he could reach out through the robot's shell, he would be able to touch it.

And _that_ was too close for comfort. "It's gaining on us!"

Could the robot go faster? Were they about to be caught?

"Octus!" Lance shouted. Solomon turned around and saw they were heading straight for the end of the corridor. It was getting closer every second. At this speed, could the robot turn in time?

The robot turned flawlessly, easily avoiding the wall, but as Solomon turned to look back at the creature, he saw a small part of the robot was dragging behind.

Right before his eyes, the creature caught it.

Solomon gasped—was all the robot's energy linked to that part?

 _Had the creature just drained the robot?!_

The orb collapsed under their feet. Solomon was thrown into the air, still carrying the momentum. Instincts and training kicked in and Solomon twisted to land on his feet. Both Lance and Ilana managed to do the same and the two of them whirled around.

The robot was in a holographic form—the one called Newton. But its leg was still the blue energy, not disguised, and the wires within the leg seemed dead.

"Octus!" Ilana cried, looking panicked, "Are you all right?!"

"Yes," the robot replied instantly, "It just got my foot. I'll just redirect some extra energy to restart it."

The robot's arms went out of their hologram form and connected to the leg. There was a bright flash of lightning as the robot shocked its own leg.

Lance and Ilana were instantly by the robot's side, watching it fearfully. Solomon stood but stayed a step back, out of their way. Would this work? Would the alien technology be able to recover? Perhaps if it was reenergized immediately?

The robot stopped the flow of power and looked up. The expression of its hologram disguise looked confused. "It won't start."

Solomon looked away. He beat down the feelings that this was all his fault; there was no time for self-pity here. Could the robot still do its part in forming Titan without its leg? Had Titan just been destroyed, because of Solomon?

The robot looked down at its leg again. "I don't understand." It sounded _lost._

Solomon couldn't help them with this. He turned away and looked at the creature. It spiraled around the orb of the robot's energy gleefully, excitedly surrounding its new prey.

It was just like when the creature had engulfed Solomon's agents. It was eating up the energy. It would be occupied, for a little bit.

"It's almost done feeding," Solomon said. He ran over and grabbed the robot's arm, lifting it. Lance was instantly on the other side, and together they helped the robot up. "We don't have much time."

Ilana ran ahead as Solomon and Lance helped the robot limp forward.

They were suddenly a lot less mobile. They needed somewhere more secure. "This way," Solomon pulled a little on the robot's arm to guide them towards the station's kitchen, not far from their current location. The robot had carried them halfway across the station.

They reached the kitchen, and headed for the pantry. Ilana opened the door for them and Solomon and Lance gently set the robot down. Ilana worriedly sat by the robot's foot, looking for some way to fix it.

Solomon stepped back and headed for the door. He made sure it was shut securely, and then looked out the small window to see if the creature was outside. It was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it was still feeding off the robot's leg. Solomon wondered how much energy was in the robot.

When Solomon turned back, Lance and Ilana had sat down on boxes to be out of the robot's way as it tried to repower its leg. Light of the excess power flickered in the room and made a soft buzzing noise.

Solomon looked at Lance and Ilana, wondering how they were handling this. Lance's face was firm, his eyes locked onto the robot's leg. But Solomon saw the tension in the boy's face.

Ilana looked hopeless and solemn. After watching the sparks of power for a little more, she closed her eyes and hung her head, seeming to accept that the robot was now disabled.

The robot glanced between them, looking uneased of all things. It was made to serve them, Solomon knew, and its failure to restart its own leg was a hindrance of its own usefulness. Solomon wondered again if Titan was even possible now.

The robot stopped the power. "Please," the robot beseeched Lance and Ilana, "I am sure there's a way to recharge it."

Lance and Ilana looked at each other. The robot swung its head between them.

Seeing the robot limp, to see any of the aliens actually _damaged,_ reminded Solomon of how vital they were. How would they protect earth without the robot? Did they have any backup plan if anything went wrong?

Lance hopped off his seat. "There has to be some way to stop that creature."

Solomon bit the inside of his lip, trying to think of a way to persuade them to leave. They'd already lost a piece of their robot—what could be next? Why were the aliens even staying now? They should run while they still could, _if_ they still could.

But they were determined, and Solomon knew nothing he said could convince them to leave him behind. In which case, it would be ungrateful to try. He wouldn't make them regret this more.

Lance's face twisted in frustration. Solomon tried to think of ways to beat the creature. Physical attacks, like when Lance had collapsed the ceiling on it, seemed to delay the creature. But they didn't have enough power here to do enough damage to actually _kill_ it.

Silence fell over them as they were all lost of what to do.

"Wait," Lance said abruptly. He stood up and walked across the room, where a beam of sunlight leaked through a window. "What if instead of trying to destroy it, we tried to capture it? Maybe try to contain it in some way?" The sunlight moved a little and caught in Lance's eyes, and he grimaced and turned away from it.

The robot stood up and dropped its hologram-disguise. "Yes, it _could_ work…" The robot turned side to side, looking throughout the pantry.

The robot suddenly reached out and grabbed a ladle, then a whisk. Its single eye looked down and shot a thick laser at the tools, beginning to melt them. The robot's energy hands moved through the heat easily and molded it. It reached out and grabbed more tools to melt, picking up speed as it formed new gadgets.

Solomon watched, softly awed. The bright light of the robot's eye made it hard for him to see what it was building, but he wished he could. The robot was _making_ alien technology _right before him,_ and Solomon yearned to see some shadow of how all of it was made.

The robot presented two twin bands to them when it was finished.

The bands were purple and glowed softly. They bound around the robot's hands, and when the robot lifted the two together, and energy field appeared between them, like a cage made of lightning.

"These will act as conductors," the robot explained. It shifted the bands around, forming the electrical cage between them. Solomon stared in stunned silence at this new presentation of alien technology, barely listening to the robot's words. "Once we lure the creature between us we'll switch on the devices and trap it in a controlled energy field. Then I'll—"

"No."

It took Solomon some effort to draw his eyes away from the light show the robot was making to look to Lance.

"You're staying here," Lance said. "We can't risk endangering you again." Lance turned to Ilana. "Solomon and I will go. Take Octus and hide him. We have to keep him away from the creature."

Solomon found he had mixed feelings about that. Lance was easily the most mistrustful of Solomon. But in a fair fight, Lance had already proven he was the better fighter out of these aliens. The robot was disabled and vulnerable, too risky to bring along.

Yet still, could this work with Lance being suspicious of everything Solomon did?

There was no helping it, however. Someone had to stay behind to protect the weakened robot. Ilana was the only one who had endured the creature's attacks; her shields had temporarily withstood against it, so that made her the best choice. And Lance was the best attacker, thus the best option to go with Solomon to catch the creature.

The robot was oddly silent. It wasn't in its hologram disguise so it would project an expression for Solomon to read. The robot reached into its stomach as drew out a small ball of its energy, like the orb G3 had found in Lance's car. So, the robot was where that had come from.

Lance took the energy and held it in both his hands.

Solomon didn't like the idea of separating. If the creature attacked, Ilana would be alone to defend both herself and the robot. He supposed the least he could do was give them as much safety as he could.

Solomon turned towards the fridge. With the power out, it wouldn't be working, nor was the heating systems of this base. The space suits were the only things keeping them all alive. "That fridge has a double-insolated airtight steel door," Solomon said. "It should block Octus's energy signature from the creature. It's the best place to hide if we—"

Solomon cut himself off, feeling Lance glare at him. The fact that these were children suddenly swept over Solomon again. How did they feel in this hopeless situation? If Solomon and Lance were killed in their attempt to catch the creature, Ilana and Octus certainly wouldn't live much longer.

"…if we should fail," Solomon finished softly.

Ilana turned away. Lance immediately moved to comfort her. "We'll be back. Don't worry."

She looked back and gave a small smile to Lance, before they both turned to look at their robot.

The robot flickered on its Newton hologram, displaying what looked to Solomon like a fake smile. It also, surprisingly, gave a thumbs up. Whether it was fake or not, Lance and Ilana seemed encouraged. They smiled as well and gave their own thumbs up.

Solomon didn't comment on it. It seemed Lance and Ilana not only cared for one another, but also for their robot. It seemed foolish to Solomon to care for an artificial life form, no matter how good it was at imitating human interaction. It was still a robot; not alive.

Perhaps in their alien culture, bonding with robots was common. Solomon didn't think he'd get an answer if he asked.

He turned to the pantry door and peeked through. There was still no sign of the creature. Lance approached from behind him, ready to move. Ilana helped Octus up towards the fridge.

Solomon opened the door, trying to stay as quiet as he could. If the creature was nearby, Solomon didn't want to make its hunt any easier by causing a racket.

When both he and Lance were out, Solomon closed the door behind them. He allowed Lance to lead the way, as this was Lance's plan. Solomon was long out of practice with following anyone (besides his superior), so he stayed silent by Lance's side. Solomon tried his best not to fiddle with and inspect the pair of conductors in his hands.

He was holding _alien technology,_ technology he even vaguely knew how to use. This wasn't like when he'd had Lance and Ilana's watches; he hadn't known a thing about them, then. These…these he was going to use and operate.

Only a few turns down, Lance stopped. "Here's good."

Solomon glanced at him and then at the conductors bound to his hands. He looked up when Lance turned to him.

Lance looked at Solomon's conductors for a moment, his expression looking like he had tasted something rotten. "I have to teach you how to use them."

Ah. That was what was wrong. Solomon knew Lance did not want to help Solomon in any way, or, perhaps worse, teach him how to use a powerful weapon. But Lance knew this was necessary and he was ready to do it.

Lance walked away a few steps; Solomon stayed where he was. When Lance turned back around, he set down Octus's energy sphere and then he looked at his own conductors as if considering them.

A thought struck Solomon. "Have you used these before?" Solomon had never seen either Lance or Ilana use something like this, and the robot _had_ just built it. It unnerved Solomon that they would be using technology neither of them had any experience with. If they did not use it correctly, the creature would escape, and would attack them. The robot was not here to carry them away with its superior speed—they'd be killed for sure.

Lance shot Solomon a glare that Solomon did not take personally. "I've used weapons similar," Lance said curtly. A bit of Solomon's tension eased.

Lance lifted his hands, showing the conductors. "These are merely parts of a whole. We must work in sync to keep the creature contained. To hold it, our movements will have to match the energy. Just watch me and do as I do. You'll feel the energy; move your hands so you can hold it stably."

Lance tilted his head. "Let's practice."

Solomon nodded and watched as Lance put his palms together to activate the bands. Solomon imitated the move, and then both he and Lance lifted their hands to direct the energy between them.

Solomon felt an astonishing pressure go against him, like he was pushing against something heavy. The containment seemed to push back against him.

Lance waved his hands in a large arc as if forming a ball in the air, and Solomon imitated him. The containment responded, becoming more stable. The technology was amazing—it was almost like G3's energy walls, but this bended and responded to commands.

"That's good," Lance said, and dropped off. Solomon's own bands sparked out at the loss of connection.

Solomon glanced side to side. "If the creature needs to be between us for this to work, we should hide on either side of the corridor."

Lance didn't respond, merely turned and ducked into one side. Solomon took his own.

A few minutes of silence passed.

Were Ilana and the robot all right, or had the creature found them? If the robot was lost, how would Lance and Ilana defend the earth? How would they defend _themselves?_ The monsters were attracted to them. Without Titan, Lance and Ilana had no chance of beating the creatures that chased them.

Solomon glanced out of his hiding place at the energy between them, and could see a little of Lance's space helmet on the other side of the hall, sticking out of the hiding place.

This whole time he had been trying not to lose himself to curiosity and pester the Lunises with questions. It was rude and distracting, and they all needed to be fully focused if they wanted to survive. But Solomon had to know if there was some other way to form Titan.

"What would you do if you lost your robot?" Solomon asked. They were the only words they had spoken to each other since sitting down, and the only words said beyond necessity. Solomon knew Lance did not like him and he was trying not to push the alien. But he had to try this.

In the small pause after Solomon spoke, he worried that Lance simply wouldn't respond. But Lance did. "I wouldn't let that happen."

So, no backup plan if it _did_ happen. Lance and Ilana did not "prepare for the worst," as Solomon's superior would say.

Solomon did not expect any more of an answer. He knew Lance wanted as little to do with him as possible.

But Lance went on, speaking softer; "He's more than just a robot, you know." Solomon straightened, taken off guard by the vulnerability in Lance's normally harsh voice. "He's family."

Solomon did not know how to respond to that. He had seen by now that Lance and Ilanas' connection with their robot was deep, but he hadn't known it was _that_ deep. Solomon was unable to understand why someone would get that connected to a machine, but nonetheless, Lance and Ilana _were._

If they cared for it so much, why were they risking it for Solomon? Their morals were firm and righteous. They protected the earth not out of self-defense, but simply because they felt they _should._

And _that_ Solomon knew all about.

He had to make up for his wrongs. Solomon had to make up for hurting them, and for making them come to this doomed station.

"Look," Solomon said, trying to be clear in this. He wasn't sure Lance would listen to him, the alien was so untrusting, but if Solomon was straightforward and simple then perhaps Lance would listen to him. He didn't know what he could offer to these advanced aliens, but if there _was_ something, he would do his best to provide it. "I wanted to thank you for coming here to rescue me. If we get out of here and there's something you need..."

Solomon trailed off as he heard something. It was the electrical hum of the creature. The corridor began to get brighter and Solomon tensed, getting ready to pounce forward. He turned to look at Octus's energy just as the creature swooped down upon it and began to feed, swirling around the power, consuming it.

Solomon looked back at his bands that Octus had made. Now was the time to find out if they truly could hold the creature. He clenched his fists and leapt out right as Lance did.

The creature saw them and swooped up in alarm. Solomon charged the bands between his palms and shot the energy out at the creature.

A ghostly scream pierced the air as the electricity caught it. The creature sparked and pushed against the bands and Solomon was almost knocked off his feet from the force. He dug his heels into the ground and pushed back, arching one hand up as the creature tried to fly out of the container. Lance did the same, and they moved to surround the creature with the energy. The creature seemed to get smaller and more compact, trapped and unable to move. It screeched in fury.

But then the ceiling began to rumble. Solomon looked up in confusion and saw bullet holes appearing in the ceiling. The metal gave way, bursting open as the _Motherbird_ drew closer on the other side.

Solomon had never been so happy to see his ship before—it seemed the repairs on it were finished. He may had ordered his agents _not_ to come for him, but right now he couldn't complain.

"Yes!" he shouted, smile growing on his face. "I sent out a signal but the creature attacked me at the same time." He glanced at Lance, who looked unsure. "I wasn't sure if it was ever transmitted."

There was no need to catch the creature now—the _Motherbird_ certainly had enough weaponry to at least stun it so they could escape.

Sure enough, the _Motherbird_ drew out its guns and began to shoot at the creature. Solomon and Lance jumped out of the way, releasing the creature just as the bullets hit it. The creature crashed to the ground and sparked wildly. Its frantic movements resembled the spasms of an injured animal.

A rope lowered from the _Motherbird_ and Solomon snatched it. He paused to call to Lance. "Let's get out of here!" And then Solomon quickly climbed his way up. The rope straightened as Solomon felt Lance grab on and began to climb up too. Solomon continued to climb, passing the giant Wave-Motion Cannon under the _Motherbird_ and the flurry of bullets the ship was firing at the creature.

But then the bullets turned back _at_ them. Solomon clutched at the rope as tightly as he could—there were only a few more feet until he reached the safety of the _Motherbird._ Ilana and the robot were right above them, pulling on the rope to draw them in. The rope swung side to side, unstable. Solomon just managed to reach the ship as the rope abruptly lost some of its weight.

Solomon looked down, terrified for a moment that Lance had been shot. But the bullets had only caught the rope, and Lance had fallen back down to the station. Solomon quickly got to his feet on the solid floor of the _Motherbird,_ mind whirling of what to do—

"Lance!" Octus called, and jumped out of the ship after the alien.

"Octus, _wait!"_ Ilana shouted.

"Get more rope!" Solomon shouted at his agents.

Solomon turned away and helped his agents tie the rope to the ship. Ilana was at the edge of the opening, completely still, watching.

 _"NO!"_ she screamed.

"Get me down there!" Solomon ordered, grabbing onto the rope and jumping off the ship, not caring if it was properly attached or not. The creature was right below him as Solomon fell, curving to where he saw Lance. Lance was holding Octus's core—there was no energy field around it—or light in its eye.

Solomon grabbed Lance the moment he was in reach, and his agents immediately began pulling him back up to the ship.

Solomon ripped off his helmet immediately as he was back on the ship and moved as fast as he could. Maybe if the creature hadn't drained all of Octus's energy, or maybe if they hurried, or just shocked it with enough power, the robot might be restarted.

"We have to recharge it," Solomon said to Lance, grabbing the robot's dull core out of the alien's hands. Lance didn't fight him and followed as Solomon ran through the _Motherbird,_ towards the engine room.

When Solomon got there he set the core down and strapped it with every wire he could see. It was dangerous to direct power into something so crudely but Solomon didn't hesitate. He wrenched down the charge switch and the room went dark, sparking with blue electricity. Lance and Ilana's horrified faces were illuminated, fear written all over their faces. Their helmets were off, now—there was nothing obscuring their obvious panic.

Solomon knew what the result was before he turned off the switch—the robot's core was the same. There was no life in it.

Ilana lifted her hands to her mouth as Lance whirled around and ran out the door.

Ilana was frozen in fear too much to follow him immediately, but she quickly chased after him. Solomon was right behind them, past agents that watched in confusion, unsure of what to do.

Lance had gone to the bridge, and had taken the controls. When Ilana and Solomon got there, he was screaming in blind rage and obliterating the space station. His weapons were aimed at the creature that had killed Octus, yet Lance's wrath was tearing the station apart along with it.

A few agents drew their blasters on Lance, who didn't even notice in his outburst. Lance had just hijacked Solomon's ship and was single-handedly using all of its weapons.

"Stand down!" Solomon ordered. The agents did so instantly.

Lance wanted vengeance. He needed to get the anger out. The creature would be destroyed by this, and Solomon was willing to sacrifice this station—as hard as it had been to get one this far out into the system—to harmlessly redirect Lance's rage and to destroy that creature once and for all.

Ilana watched in horror at Solomon's side while he waited for the ferocity to run its course and pass. Lance used almost every weapon the _Motherbird_ had, including ones that seemed to be newly added. There was a danger switch that fired a barrage of missiles, and Lance punched right through it. The station was destroyed, its explosion rocking the _Motherbird_.

Lance collapsed onto the controls. His breathing was labored. He stood, head down and fists tightly clenched.

Ilana put her face in her hands and shook softly, subduing her sobs.

Three of them had come to earth. There were only three. There were no other aliens besides the monsters that attacked them. It was just the three of them, hidden in secret on an unfamiliar planet. These three aliens were alone.

And now, even more so.

 _"He's family,"_ Lance had said. This loss would devastate them. The robot might not have truly been alive, but they had loved it.

Solomon stood with two aliens he once had seen as a threat, and saw only two children who had lost a loved one. Solomon would even dare to say a father figure.

"I am sorry," Solomon whispered.


	10. Episode 19

Episode Nineteen: The Steel Foe

The best thing Solomon could do for the Lunises on the way back from the space station was give them privacy. It was all he could think to do at the moment. The loss was still too fresh to help any more than that. Solomon had merely given them a room to be alone in. They had taken what was left of the robot, shut the door, and Solomon hadn't heard a peep from them since.

Within the first hour of the trip back, Solomon wondered why his men were here in the first place. He was certainly grateful, but he had told them _not_ to come.

Solomon checked the G3 database. All orders were cataloged here, and the order from the highest-ranking agent took priority. Since they had gotten Solomon's message from the station, they had gotten his orders to stay away. He was the highest-ranking member of G3, and it didn't _seem_ like his agents had suddenly become rebellious. They were listening to him now.

He saw, to his astonishment, that someone had countermanded his orders and placed a new direction to rescue him. There was no identity on the mandate; merely that it was higher.

Solomon's superior was the only one who could have done this. Solomon was…touched. He had always assumed his superior was the greater one, the master, the founder of G3. He considered himself expendable in comparison. He knew his superior valued secrecy over almost everything, even letting Steel have that metal to keep G3 hidden. And yet, his superior had practically just revealed himself to the entirety of G3 to save Solomon.

They would be speaking when Solomon returned to HQ.

For now, though, Solomon had to figure out what to do with the mess he had caused by falling into trouble. Lance and Ilana were shattered. Lance had already taken his rage out on the station—was his hunger for destruction satisfied, or would he cause more damage on earth? Solomon knew neither of the Lunises was stupid or cruel, but they had occasionally shown carelessness in what they destroyed. When Solomon had first seen them transform at Sherman Mall, they had torn apart the building in their attempts to get out. Ilana was the one who somewhat controlled Lance, but she was too distressed to handle him.

The robot, as far as Solomon could tell, was the one that guided them. It was the robot that made them fit in on earth. It had enrolled them in Sherman High School, bought their house, handled their files to blend them in, kept watch over them, and probably other things as well. When Steel had been watching the Lunises in their everyday teenage life, it was the robot's holograms that had gotten the general off the scent. Without the robot, the Lunises would be much more in danger, much more likely to be revealed, and out of control. It would be better if they stayed with G3.

Of course, they would instinctively slap away such an offer. But then again, they had been willing to help Solomon get off the station. Would they let him help in return? Perhaps they would want a safer place to stay after their robot was gone?

…And perhaps Solomon's superior would be able to do something to revive the robot.

Solomon knew that he shouldn't put such hope in that. This wasn't a technology problem—this was something wrong with power _itself._ That creature had completely detrained the station, permanently. He had to face the facts; the robot was gone. There was no Titan to defend earth. G3 had powerful weaponry, yet they still didn't stand a chance alone against the creatures. Even if they managed to defeat one, they would take heavy losses doing so, and another monster would come eventually, before they could recover.

This was all Solomon's fault.

He had gotten into trouble in the space station. He had called for help to Lance, Ilana, and their robot. Their robot was destroyed, forever, because of his actions.

He had to make up for it somehow.

But right now, he didn't dare disturb Lance and Ilana.

Solomon noticed his agents were on a hair-trigger. They were probably very confused—not only were Lance and Ilana here unrestrained, but Lance had highjacked their ship and used all their weapons. And yet, Solomon had made it clear to them that it was fine. He inquired of what had happened while he was on the station.

They reported that G3 HQ had gotten his distress call. His orders to not to be rescued had been countermanded, and then Team Delta had set out on the newly remodeled _Motherbird_ after him. The agents decided that the fridge was the best place to hide and checked there first, only to discover Ilana and the robot inside. Ilana had apparently taken charge, explained that Solomon and Lance had gone after the creature, and directed the agents to Solomon and Lance's location.

The agents were tense; the Lunises were on this ship and it still wasn't clear if these aliens were enemies or allies. For Solomon, however, there was no question. The Lunises were no threat to the earth. Solomon was frustrated it had taken him this long to figure that out. He had made many grave mistakes in his ignorance. But it was clear to him now.

OOO

Solomon turned on his com link to speaker in the room where he'd placed Lance and Ilana. "We're entering earth's atmosphere in two minutes."

The familiar blue, green, and white planet was a welcome sight after Solomon had thought he'd never see it again. Yet as he looked at the earth as a whole, he was reminded yet again of how undefended it now was without Titan.

Solomon had changed out of his spacesuit by now; since suffocating in it, the suit was claustrophobic and left him on edge. Now, he was back in his usual uniform. He felt far more comfortable in his duster-type coat, scarlet vest, wide-brimmed fedora, and red scarf. He would be even happier once he was breathing fresh air. The preserved and circulated air of the _Motherbird_ didn't quite give him enough oxygen to clear the remaining throbs of the headache he still had from blacking out.

Solomon immediately turned towards the door when he heard it open. Both Lance and Ilana slowly walked in. Immediately all G3 agents looked up to the aliens, but most of the agents had to turn away to continue piloting the ship.

Lance was stoic, even more so than usual. There was a tension in the male alien's jaw that hinted at the pain and turmoil inside him, but overall Lance masked his emotions well. Until, that is, his eyes turned to Solomon. Solomon immediately saw the barely leashed anger when he met Lance's eyes.

Of course. As if Lance did not hate Solomon enough, now he blamed Solomon for the loss of the robot.

Ilana looked as if she had aged a hundred years. It was quite a change as she was normally a beacon of hope and youthfulness. While she stood professional, hiding the signs of her breakdown almost completely, she still was solemn with extra lines of stress under her eyes and seemed to radiate sadness through the air. Normally she excluded brightness and determination. She moved slowly, as if she barely had the energy to even do that.

Solomon approached them, ignoring Lance's glare. "It will take us a moment to get through earth's upper atmosphere." Solomon balanced his tone between professional and softly considerate. "After that, we'll transport you to wherever you want to go."

It was a question as much as an offer—where would they go now? Solomon almost feared that Lance and Ilana would try to go home. _Home,_ home, as in the place where they had come from, wherever else in the galaxy—or _universe_ —that was. They were not safe on earth without Titan; they were unable to defend themselves from the huge monsters that came after them. So why would they stay here?

"We will be leaving as soon as you break the atmosphere," Lance said, voice flat. "Open your bottom hatch and we will fly out on our own."

Solomon said nothing to that. Lance obviously wanted to get away from G3 as quickly as possible.They wanted nothing else to do with Solomon or the agency—ironically just as Solomon was willing to help them.

Help them with anything. Solomon would gather the best scientists in the world to try and revive their robot and use all G3 resources to protect these two aliens, if he could. Lance and Ilana had proven themselves to have earth's best interests. They had been valiantly brave and heroic to defend the earth, so G3 should be allying with them. After such a rough start, Solomon had a lot to make up for.

Solomon hesitated, knowing how they wouldn't accept this offer and yet determined to try. "You are welcome to stay with us," he said softly. "It might be best now, without your robot."

Ilana glanced up at him, seeming to sense his genuine kindness behind the offer, while Lance's frown deepened in anger.

"No." Lance's one word was grim, flat, and final. And yet it contained all the hatred and mistrust he had for Solomon.

Solomon wanted make allies with these aliens, and yet he couldn't even try. They were still scarred from G3's abduction of them, and Lance blamed Solomon for the loss of the robot. They weren't going to trust G3, certainly not willingly step foot on G3 HQ again. Solomon couldn't blame them, and wouldn't force them.

Solomon turned away from them, to one of his agents. "Open the bottom hatch when we break to the lower atmosphere," he ordered. The agent nodded in affirmation as Solomon turned and headed for the door out of the bridge. "Follow me, please." With great effort, he did not look back at Lance and Ilana.

Solomon continued to refuse to not look back as he guided them through the _Motherbird_ , but listened very closely to the sound of their footsteps as they echoed off the walls. They seemed to be keeping a careful distance from him. He knew it wasn't natural space—when he had gone undercover as Kane, the two of them had been right behind him as he'd lead them through G3 HQ. Now, they seemed to consider him dangerous even to be around.

They still considered him an enemy, even if he didn't see them as so.

Solomon opened the final door to the drop off, but the _Motherbird_ still wasn't close enough to earth yet. The hatch was still closed, and Solomon waited at its edge, Lance and Ilana standing a few feet away from him. No one said anything; the rumbling of the _Motherbird_ filled the silence.

They were about to leave. Yet again Solomon felt he should say something—he could try to persuade them to stay, but he knew he wouldn't be successful. He wanted to thank them for coming to rescue him, but that would only add salt to the wound of how they had lost their robot in doing so. He wanted, somehow, to ask for forgiveness for his treatment of them before, and yet couldn't bring himself to even mention that drastic mistake.

Solomon's com buzzed. He lifted it, feeling Lance and Ilanas' eyes on him. "Sir, we're reached the lower atmosphere."

Solomon said nothing, but held frozen for a moment. When he opened that hatch, Lance and Ilana would leave. Although he knew that if he tried to keep them here prisoner, they would eventually escape and any trust they had in him would be destroyed, he didn't want to let them go.

"What are you going to do now?" Solomon asked, still not looking up at them.

Lance's voice answered him. "That's none of your concern."

Solomon wanted to argue that he was the representative defender of earth, therefore any alien activity on earth was _certainly_ his concern, but he didn't. There was no point.

Solomon opened the hatch without a response. Cold wind filled the room, refreshing and fast. The world opened up, the ground still miles below them.

There was the flash of light that Solomon was starting to get used to as Lance and Ilana transformed. Lance's armor could barely fit in the hanger. The two of them jumped out and then blasted off toward the surface, Lance taking lead, and soon the two of them were out of sight.

Solomon stood still at the edge, enjoying the cold wind and clean air after hours of breathing dry, sweaty, circulated oxygen. But then he shut the hanger door and turned to head back to the bridge.

He ordered surveillance of the Lunis household; would Lance and Ilana stay there, or move on? Without their robot, Solomon wanted to keep a very close eye on them. He still had no idea what they would do.

But before he could fully focus on Lance and Ilana, he needed to have a very important conversation with his superior.

The _Motherbird_ docked into HQ and Solomon found more of his agents than usual waiting for him outside. He knew they were all relieved he had returned alive. G3 certainly wouldn't be the same without Solomon leading it, but it would continue on nonetheless. Solomon didn't think there was any one person who could lead it like he did; his power would have to be divided up to a group if anything ever happened to him.

Coming close to death had drawn these thoughts to the front of his mind when normally he never bothered with such things. But there was far too much for him to do before he could start worrying about that, about the future of G3 should something happen to him.

Solomon dismissed his agents, promising there would be a report for them all to read of what happened on the station. He was always grateful for their dedication and loyalty, and knew they had panicked when they got his message to leave him for dead. He could feel the tension still in the air.

Solomon spent the next few hours in the center of HQ, directing his agents and making himself known. Once the majority of agents had seen him with their own eyes and things had calmed down, Solomon made his way to his superior.

As Solomon climbed down the ladder, he reminded himself of how his secret superior wasn't so secret anymore. His superior was the only one in G3 that could countermand Solomon's orders, and he had done so, quite openly, to save Solomon's life. If an agent looked closer to find out exactly who was above Solomon in rank, they wouldn't find any name or identity. But then the agent would know something was up, that there was someone _else_.

Solomon paused when he reached the floor, his hands still on the ladder. The events on the station had changed him; now he knew, with certainty, that Lance and Ilana were friends of earth. And yet, Solomon had tortured them. If only he had listened to his superior and waited. Then Lance and Ilana might have agreed to stay with G3, and would be here now.

Solomon felt ashamed that he had disobeyed his superior, and didn't feel worthy to go before the man who'd been right all along.

Still, Solomon turned and stepped before his superior.

His superior spoke first. "I am glad to see you, Solomon." Solomon glanced up from the floor, surprised. His superior almost never revealed any emotion—he was all business. It never occurred to Solomon how his death might affect his superior _emotionally._

"I am glad to be back." Solomon didn't know how else to reply. He decided to get down to the matter that made him most curious. "You revealed yourself to give the order to rescue me." Solomon allowed a little concern to color his tone.

"I would not worry about that, Solomon." Solomon cocked his head questioningly. "The agents know better than to look too deeply into it. They know you have a secret—they notice when you disappear to come see me—but they do not inspect."

Solomon thought about that for a moment. The agents of G3 were very close; they all lived together and worked together constantly. Almost all of them had given up their old lives for something greater, the safety of earth and alien encounters. It was a difficult life, full of hard work and minimal rewards. But they all were completely dedicated. Each of them followed Solomon's orders without question, and Solomon never had to doubt any of their loyalty. Still, it seemed strange to him that they _knew_ Solomon was keeping secrets from them, and allowed him to without any question. He hadn't serious considered how deeply they trusted him before.

His superior's voice drew him out of his thoughts. "What happened on the station? The Lunises were with you?"

G3 had doubtlessly detected Titan leave earth and head to the station, but Solomon had sent no messages from the _Motherbird_ since his rescue. He had wanted to tell his superior what had happened in full detail, in person. And he had been too distracted with the loss of the robot to even write a message anyway.

Yet now, standing here, Solomon lost the words. Lance and Ilana's actions on the space station had driven in deeper how wrong Solomon had been to attack them, to disobey his superior and harm them. He thought he'd been doing the right thing, but he had tortured _children._ And yet, simply out of their own sense of compassionate virtues, they had come to rescue him.

"…Solomon?"

Solomon snapped himself back into the here and now. "Yes, they were with me."

"You were on that station alone with them for several hours before the _Motherbird_ crew came to rescue you…" His superior made a thoughtful pause, or perhaps just needed a moment to gather his breath again. "Did you learn anything?"

Solomon was still for a long time before he said, "You were right."

"I am right about everything, Solomon." The raspy voice made it hard to tell, but Solomon thought he could hear its amusement. "You'll have to be more specific."

Solomon glanced up from under his fedora. His superior rarely took a crack at humor, but the man seemed more affectionate towards Solomon in this particular meeting. He seemed truly happy that Solomon had lived, and it was…the first time Solomon had been able to identify happiness from him.

Solomon did not crack a smile, though. "About how to treat the aliens. We never— _I_ never—should have attacked them." Solomon alone took full responsibility for the kidnapping of the Lunises. _He_ had chosen to disobey.

His superior considered this for a moment. "I know you have realized this for some time, Solomon," he said finally. "I am glad you now grasp the extent of your mistake. But you must not dwell on it. It is done, it is the past. We need to move forward."

"I want them to understand I regret it," Solomon said suddenly, surprising even himself. "I want to make it up to them somehow. They are in danger now that they have lost their robot—" there was an odd twitch in his superior's hand—surprise? Solomon pressed on "—we can protect them."

Solomon knew that in doing so he would be risking the entirety of G3 to the monsters that were attracted by Lance and Ilana's presence. Yet he _needed_ to do this.

He went on, determined. "You are the greatest mind earth has ever known," he insisted to his superior, "if we could convince them to let you look at their robot's core, then perhaps—"

" _Solomon."_

Solomon snapped his mouth shut.

"None of that will work," his superior sounded almost tired. "They still do not trust you or anyone in G3, it's still too soon after you kidnapped them. And now they will be even more on guard since they have lost their robot, which helped protect them. They do not want to be anywhere near G3. If we were to push them now, offer them assistance, they would not trust us. We must let them be."

Solomon knew his superior was right, but that didn't mean he liked it. "So we merely let them do as they wish?"

"We will do as we have this whole time;" Solomon predicted the word right before his superior said it; " _watch."_

"What about the monsters?" Solomon pressed, "More will come, and Titan can no longer be formed. What will we do?" Solomon mentally calculated G3's current weaponry against the firepower he'd seen some of the alien creatures display. "Perhaps if we built more Robo-Tankers like the _Motherbird_ —"

 _"No,"_ his superior said firmly. "Nothing from earth can challenge the creatures and hope to win. We cannot risk our soldiers in a doomed attempt."

Solomon stared at his superior. "People will _die."_

"We will save as many as we can," his superior consented, "But the best way to do that is _not_ to fight it head-on."

Solomon was shocked. "So we just _let_ the creatures roam the earth?"

"That is all we can do."

OOO

Solomon's spies reported only hours later than Lance and Ilana were leaving their house. They had gone there soon after they'd come back to earth, yet now, they were leaving…and carrying bags with them.

The horrible idea Solomon had earlier returned; what if Lance and Ilana didn't stay on earth? What if they deemed it too dangerous, and left? Could they activate the Portal and leave whenever they wished? Was G3 about to lose the only nonviolent aliens earth had encountered?

Yet G3 spies tracked them to a mega bus station, where the two of them purchased tickets to the next city and quickly boarded.

Solomon sat in his prime computer room, looking at one of the spy's discreetly taken pictures of Lance and Ilana boarding the bus. In most of the pictures, the two's heads were ducked low, and they glanced side to side suspiciously. It was quite a change from Ilana's usual peppy bright attitude and Lance's confident yet careless stride. Solomon's gloved fingers were woven together and tented before him in thought. So, Lance and Ilana were leaving Sherman, and the house they had purchased, with packed bags. Yet if they were going to leave earth, they wouldn't have bothered with a mega bus; they would have simply flown away.

Which meant that they were staying but moving. It made sense. They knew that G3 knew where they lived. They wanted to avoid G3, so of course they would have to leave. Or perhaps it was the creatures they were trying to avoid? Either way, Solomon knew they were relocating.

For how long would Lance and Ilana move, though? Would Lance and Ilana find some other town or city to live in? Or wander as nomads? Nowhere on earth seemed to be safe from the colossal invading monsters; they landed almost entirely randomly (the exception being that they were especially attracted to Sherman) and traveled wherever they pleased. Where could Lance and Ilana go to escape them?

 _Here,_ Solomon's mind immediately answered, but he pushed that thought away. They had already said no and made it quite clear they weren't going to reconsider.

Things truly were a mess. The aliens were as mistrustful of G3 as ever, the robot was gone, Titan couldn't be formed, and no other power on earth could fight the monsters and hope to win.

Solomon leaned back in his chair, still feeling exhausted from the events in space. Bone-deep weariness combined with an antsy want to _do_ something was an interesting paradox. Yet Solomon pushed himself forward and set to work on what he was supposed to be doing; watching. He spent the next few hours arranging and directing his spies to keep watch on Lance and Ilana, and working on evacuation methods for the next unavoidable monster.

OOO

Solomon was seated in the control room, days after returning to earth, and hours after the latest alien monster had crashed from space.

This one had unfortunately crashed into a city, and G3 agents were already on-site (though disguised) and handling the evacuation. None of them engaged the creature, though they all knew Titan wouldn't either. The news reporters ignorantly kept hope, encouraging viewers to hold out, certain their defender would come. Solomon wondered how long they would keep it up until they realized that there'd be no rescue this time.

This alien was as big as the other invaders, but the two curved horns on either side of its head made it especially towering. Its body was grey-black with thick skin, but with long white claws, talons, and spikes at the end of its tail. It had a small beak for a mouth and blank yellow eyes. With wide swings of its arms and tail, the creature easily toppled skyscrapers. It charged a green laser between its huge horns and destroyed dozens of buildings in single strikes.

Solomon didn't know why he was surprised when his agents reported that Lance and Ilana, in their armored forms, had been sighted in the city and were flying straight for the monster. He had thought they were stay as far away from it as possible. It was insane for them to go against it alone. Without Titan, they wouldn't stand a chance. But yet again, he'd underestimated their virtues. It didn't matter to them how risky or hopeless it was—they were going to fight.

Solomon watched, keeping his expression masked, as the two armored aliens flew at the creature. It immediately turned its full attention to them the moment it noticed them, swiping at them with its huge claws. They easily avoided, splitting up to either side of it. The creature turned to Ilana and roared towards her as she fired her lasers. She aimed for its face and eyes, but the creature didn't even seem to notice. Lance dived low to fire a barrage of bullets at the creature's belly. The creature turned and roared, before swiping at Lance this time.

The creature landed the hit and sent Lance crashing through a building. Solomon knew how durable their armor was—but surely it had its limits. There were no cameras that followed Lance, but an agent reported that he crashed onto a car.

With that, the monster turned its full attention back on Ilana. With another swipe, it sent her flying as well. She crashed into a building, and the monster advanced towards it. With a powerful swing of its claws, it knocked away half of the structure. It peered its yellow eyes through the remains, seeming to look for her.

Lance appeared again and launched a hoard of missiles at the beast. Solomon recognized that attack—it had demolished G3 forces when Lance and Ilana had been captured. The creature stumbled back as Lance flew at the building Ilana had crashed through. The creature forced itself back up and then lifted its arms over its head. The camera just caught Lance's armor breaking through a window before the creature demolished the entire building.

Lance flew at high speed away from the monster, but there was no golden gleam of Ilana's armor beside him. However the camera did pick up Lance carrying something—it was blurry, but obvious human in shape. It had to be Ilana, who else could it be? But her armor had shut down. And they were fleeing from the scene. In moments, Lance was halfway out of the city, leaving the monster behind.

They had failed. It was to be expected, but still strange to see. G3 had thrown almost everything it had at these two alien children and done little damage. Yet the two of them had barely done any harm against this creature. Their large forms had been swatted away like gnats. The creature was going to continue its rampage, and nothing on earth could stop it.

What could they do?

OOO

The next two weeks passed quickly. Agents continued to follow Lance and Ilana, and Solomon was relieved to see they both appeared unharmed despite their horrible battle against the creature. They continued to wander however, taking trains, buses, or simply walking throughout the country. They stayed in the most obscure of motels, trying to disappear in the shadows. G3 was always on them, however. Agents knew when they came and went, what times their lights turned off for bed, what food they bought from stores, what channels they were watching, and every detail they could get without getting close enough to be seen. Lance and Ilana always carried an odd brown heavy-looking backpack with them and clung to it protectively. Solomon assumed that's where they kept their robot's core.

Interestingly, Lance and Ilana appeared to be buying mechanical books as they moved along. Many spies caught sight of Lance staying up late to read them. They also bought tools at department stores and sometimes spent hours talking with any mechanics they came across. One night it seemed they accidentally caused a city-wide power outage. It was obvious they were trying to find ways to repair their robot—but did they truly think any kind of technological skill earth had could revive it? And if any could, wouldn't it be at G3?

Solomon desperately wished they would accept his offer and agree to let G3 help. G3 could provide protection, proper shelter, and have the best chance at repairing the robot. Solomon's superior was the greatest mind earth had ever known—surely, he could do _something._ But he refused to let Solomon offer again, or even confront them. Only watch.

Despite Lance and Ilana being G3's primary concern, a close second was the creature. It still stormed Sherman, day and night, never sleeping, never even slowing down regardless of the relentless attacks the military feebly threw at it. The reporters streaming full coverage of the creature knew by now that something had happened—Titan was not appearing. Yet they continued to hope that their hero would come— _"still no sign of Titan," "everyone is wondering, where is Titan?" "What has happened to Titan?"_

G3 had already evacuated almost the entirety of the city, but the destruction the beast caused had trapped some people in the ruins. Rescue missions were underway, but it was impossible to navigate the city while the creature and the military fought in it. A few agents had been lost—not many, thankfully, but it still weighed on Solomon.

Solomon was browsing through the live-stream reports when something on-camera covered the sunlight and cast a huge shadow over the city.

 _"A giant robot has just entered the city!"_ the reporter cried out. " _Get this, get this! It's Titan—he's come to our rescue!"_

Solomon at once narrowed his attention on that screen, even though he _knew_ it couldn't be Titan. Even if Octus had somehow been miraculously fixed, G3 agents reported that Lance and Ilana were still inside their current motel room, miles away from the city. There was _no way—_

Whatever had just entered Sherman, Titan or alien monster or something else entirely, its landing had upheaved too much dust to properly see it. Solomon waited for the wind to blow the obscuring dust away—around him, all his agents were at full attention, poised to discover what was happening. Solomon guessed people all over the world were tuning in now, to see what was going on. Titan? Or something else?

 _"Wait a minute…that's not Titan,"_ the reporter said cautiously as the shape was revealed. The smoke cleared, revealing a dark olive-grey metal body. Rockets that worked as a jetpack became visible first, and slowly the arms and circular shape became clear. Dim yellow lights glowed out from the joints of this bulky robot, its size equal to the monster that it stood facing off with.

The alien monster also seemed skeptical of this new foe. It growled suspiciously for a moment. When the robot didn't move, the monster took this as an opportunity to attack and charged across the flattened buildings towards it.

The new robot finally shifted, drawing back one of its arms. A rocket came to life at its elbow, spurting flame, before swinging forward and punching the monster directly in the face. The monster staggering back with a pained roar.

 _"Awesome. Absolutely awesome."_

Solomon's hands tightened their grip on his chair. A million questions were clawing for attention in his mind. Where had this robot come from? Was it alien? It's design was more earthen, but who had made it? Friend or foe? He glanced at his communicator. He wanted to speak to his superior— _he_ always had some answers, or at least ideas. Yet Solomon's didn't want to miss a second of what was happening.

The robot was still, its fist frozen in position from its punch. But then it steadied its stance and lifted its other arm, opening its metal fingers to reveal a plethora of guns. The monster heard the clanking sound and turned around to see what was happening, only to be shot at by hundreds of bullets. Their remains sprinkled out of the new robot's wrists.

 _"If you're just tuning in at home,"_ the reporter said, _"A new hero has just dropped out of nowhere, and has taken the fight to the creature! And to think, we still have no idea who it is! We'll try to get information as the situation—"_

 _"I'LL tell you who the hero is!"_

Solomon's mind blanked for a moment. He knew that Southern accent too well. Oh, no.

 _"This is General Steel! And the hero is the US army…and my robot: The Hammer!"_

Solomon was too wrapped up in his own shock that he barely noticed the monster make a comeback with a powerful swat of its tail to Steel's robot. Steel had been too preoccupied with his tremendous reveal that he hadn't even seen it coming. Like a heavy domino, the robot began to fall. It crashed into a skyscraper, crushing it. But before it could plummet to the ground, several jets activated and lifted the robot back into upright position.

The monster waited to see if its foe and defeated, swinging its tail side to side. Once Steel's robot had stabilized itself, it turned back to face the beast. With a low growl, the alien monster began charging its green laser between its horns. It fired, the beam zooming at the robot.

Rockets came to life on the robot's left arm and pushed it out of the way as the beam soared past, and then more rockets activated on the robot's back to push it forward at the creature. The robot lifted its arms between the creature's horns, and with a brutal snap, tore them off. It then grabbed the creature's head between its two fists and opened its chest to even _more_ guns.

As the robot's guns tore relentlessly at the monster's chest, its head lolled to the side, seemingly dazed. The guns stopped and the two rockets on the robot's back came to life, lifting its heavy body a short distance into the air. Steel's robot lifted its leg, and then came crashing down on the monster. The monster did not move, too stunned to try and attack or evade—Solomon did not sympathize with it, but it was obviously an easy target. Other monsters Titan had fought had been far quicker, recovered sooner. This one did not even twitch as the weight of Steel's robot came hurtling down on it. With a horrible breaking sound, the creature fell back, limp on the ground.

The camera gained a bird's-eye angle. _"This is Brick Jackson coming to you from inside a third-battalion Black Falcon helicopter, and it looks like Steel's last attack just sent the creature flying! The creature is on its last legs!"_

 _"That's right,"_ Steel's projected voice was easily picked up by the camera. _"Made in the USA! No alien technology needed. Just good old American ingenuity…and the help of taxpayer dollars. The H.M.E.R—Homeland Mobile Emergency Robot."_ The robot lifted its right fist as drew out a long, huge cannon, aiming it at the creature, which wasn't moving. If it wasn't dead already, it was certainly dying. _"That Titan's a coward. Now we've got our own protector…and it's here to stay!"_

The cannon launched a powerful blue laser at the monster. The striking flash of the beam blinded the camera, but Solomon saw its careless lack of precision. Stray bits of energy damaged the buildings that had survived until now. Solomon knew sacrifices had to be made, it was a dark truth he faced more than most, but he was doubtful Steel had bothered to make sure that huge cannon was safe for use.

Nonetheless, when the blast was finished, the creature was obliterated. The only remnant of it was a mark of ash where it had been.

 _"It's DEAD, the creature is DEAD!"_ the reporter called out in triumph. _"Yes, the monster that has wreaked havoc on Sherman for the last three weeks has finally been defeated! Way to go, General Steel!"_

The robot withdrew its cannon back into its arm and turned to face the camera. It then lifted its other arm in victorious triumph for all the world to see, posing. Solomon scoffed internally; of course, Steel would show off to the world his latest toy. He wanted glory; so different from G3.

The new robot blasted off in its massive jet packs, quickly hiding itself against the sunlight.

Solomon snapped his gloved fingers in command. "Track it."

At once his agents turned around and got back to work. Solomon took a moment to skim through other reports, but when he saw nothing of interest, he flicked all of his screens off and stood up. Turning on his heel, he folded his hands behind his back and walked out of the room. He paced through G3 HQ before he finally made it down the secret trapdoor to his superior. He leapt down, ignoring the ladder, and faced the man.

He waited for his superior to speak first. Eventually, he did. "…We should have seen this coming."

Solomon fully agreed with _that._ How had G3 missed this? They'd been so focused on Lance and Ilana, and the alien monster, that they had ignored Steel. Solomon knew that Steel was working on bigger, more powerful weapons to use against the aliens, but a _giant robot?_ That was so out-of-the-water and so blatantly obvious at the same time. It was such a mind-boggling idea that truly, only Steel could have come up with it. And yet it perfectly fit in with the general's character: jealousy of Titan had caused him to imitate the alien mech, to prove himself better and greater than the foreign defender. Solomon had underestimated the general's daring.

However, from what Solomon had seen, the technology Steel had access to made the robot not worth the effort. It was slow, heavy, and awkward. Such a huge and complex design needed hundreds of soldiers to manage it, surely, which made it slow to respond with all the little details that needed to be managed. The monster that had been rampaging in Sherman had been slow, and most of the ones Titan had fought in the past were much quicker. Steel's robot would not do as well against those.

Solomon turned his wandering thoughts back to his superior's question. "Yes," he said softly.

His superior lifted a dim screen before himself to look at, and Solomon saw, from the other side, the reverse image of Steel's robot. "It will not replace Titan."

"Agreed," Solomon nodded his head. "Steel got lucky this time, but future creatures won't be as easy to destroy. Steel's project was a waste of resources. How did he even put it together?" Solomon was certainly going to look into what politicians had funded Steel's project. Anyone with that many resources should be powerful enough to know about G3. They should know that any alien involvement was _G3's_ business. To fund this weapon was in violation of G3's jurisdiction.

His superior allowed a thoughtful pause. "He used the metal he gathered from the alien ship to build this."

Solomon's mile-a-minute mind stopped for the second time that day. The metal from the colossal ship, the giant ship that Titan had destroyed and scattered over miles. Solomon had long fumed over losing the metal to Steel, but in recent events he had completely forgotten it. They knew Steel had taken the residue metal from the huge crashed alien ship, but they hadn't paid attention to what he _did_ with it. Solomon had assumed he would blast it all with a nuclear laser like the last time the general got his hands on alien material. Or at most make some new weapons out of it, like jets or tanks. Not a Titan copy.

If _Solomon_ had the metal and the opportunity to weaponize it, he would have designed something not so…rudimentary. Something faster. But he didn't have the metal, and he had let go of his anger over that months ago.

Now that his superior said so, Solomon found it obvious that Steel had used the alien metal for this. But how had his superior figured it out? "How do you know?"

His superior flicked through numerous shots of Steel's robot. "It's makeup."

Solomon mentally wrestled with that for a moment, trying to figure out if his superior actually meant something with that, before deciding it was merely his superior's way of deflecting the question. He simply didn't want to explain, so Solomon let it go.

"What do we do?" he asked instead.

A great deal of things _could_ be done. G3 could object that this robot was against their agreement with the US government for their rights to all alien involvement and material. They could demand the robot be dismantled, or even demand it be handed over to them. Solomon didn't want _it;_ but the metal should have been theirs all along.

His superior's answer cut into Solomon's half-formed plans. "We watch."

Solomon had no idea how or why his superior's tactic of 'watching' kept surprising him. Months ago, he would have been furious, but now his objections were completely calm. "We cannot let Steel handle the aliens that come here. He'll attack them all without any consideration for them, for his own soldiers, or for any people in general. It is _our_ purpose to handle extraterrestrial involvement, and Steel will ruin anything we'd try to accomplish."

"You said yourself that Steel's robot would not be able to defeat all of the future creatures."

"It's still too much power in his hands. We cannot let him keep the robot."

"If we were to try to take it away from him, he would do everything in his power to reveal us."

"The aliens already _know_ we exist," Solomon argued. "The only change it would be is that the public would know about us."

"And they would pressure us," his superior responded. "They would praise us, condom us, question us, _influence_ us. G3 must be separate from such pressures. Our secrets and technological advancements must be withheld."

Solomon swallowed, knowing how firm his superior was on this matter. His technology, his inventions, _did not_ leave G3. He did not allow any of it to be shared with the rest of the world. Solomon had always struggled to understand why—many of his superior's inventions could be used to improve earth, but Solomon had learned long ago not to pressure him on this topic.

But Solomon saw his superior's other points as well. With G3 being secret, they did not need to worry about gratitude or rejection. They were free to operate without needing approval. This freedom was essential in order to carry out their missions. If they needed to worry about the public's response for every action they took…

His superior pressed on. "Steel will not have a long opportunity to do too much damage with his robot. Sooner or later one of the aliens will defeat it. And I believe it will be sooner than you think, Solomon."

OOO

Solomon was in the primary control room, personally monitoring the public's response to Steel's robot. His superior's critiques of the very people they protected had gotten Solomon thinking. Would it _truly_ be terrible for G3 to be public? Certainly not _preferable,_ but was it worth the sacrifice, that Steel keep his robot?

As Solomon viewed commentaries, debates, and reporters however, his resolve hardened. People of earth were gushing with praise for the robot. _'New icon for America,' 'a game-changer for the US military,' 'our own hero.'_ Their endless adoration for Steel's robot blinded them to its flaws. Even through Solomon's shock, he'd seen the awkward and difficult movements of the thing. To combat the monsters, an opponent needed to be fast on their feet merely to survive, much less win. The battles between Titan and the creatures were quick and required immediate responses that Steel's robot wasn't capable of.

And doubtlessly this was feeding into Steel's already oversized ego. Solomon wished he could say G3 would be entirely above that if they were exposed, but even he had to admit humans had limits. If Solomon himself wasn't influenced by the public's ever-loud opinions, many of his soldiers would be. G3 was unified; they couldn't afford any divisions, and causing divisions was one thing the public excelled at. Allowing G3 to be publicized would lead to consequences too drastic to predict.

A screen popped up showcasing Steel's introduction of his robot again. By now, Solomon's agents had already tracked it to a military base. At least Steel had the common sense to keep the robot's location a secret from the public. But really, how did the general think this would work out? While Solomon was grateful the monster plaguing Sherman was gone, it wouldn't last forever. Another monster would come, and another after that, and there was no question that Steel's robot couldn't take them all, that one of the creatures would manage to best him. Building his own robot was _insane._

"Steel…" Solomon murmured to himself. "What does he think he's doing?"

A screen came to life at Solomon's left. It was one of his spy captains, charged with following Lance and Ilana. Solomon was actually a little surprised to see him; Lance and Ilana had fallen to the back of his mind since the appearance of this robot. He wondered how they had reacted to it. Were they happy that the monster they couldn't defeat was now vanquished? Or did they also know that Steel's robot couldn't last forever?

"Sir," the agent said, "I have something you need to see. Sending it to your screen now." Before Solomon, an undetailed drawing of a map appeared. He recognized it immediately; the base where Steel kept his robot. He'd seen this map earlier today. "They were looking at Steel's base," the agent explained.

"This can't be good," Solomon muttered. Why would Lance and Ilana want to know where Steel kept his robot? Surely they couldn't want to sabotage it. They shouldn't go anywhere near the place—who knew what Steel would do to them. If not outright kill them, then treat them even more horribly than G3 had.

"You want us to move in and pick them up?" the agent asked.

That was a clear option. After Lance and Ilana had saved his life at the cost of their robot, Solomon couldn't just stand by and watch them get killed or imprisoned by Steel. And even without Titan, he still considered the two as defenders of earth. They didn't deserve to be left to Steel's mercy, or lack thereof.

Yet Solomon's superior had clearly instructed him not to engage. And if Solomon _did_ send his agents to 'pick them up,' Lance and Ilana would be hostile. They would refuse to come, go into that base no matter what G3 did, and then they would know that G3 was still following them. They would do anything to try to disappear from G3's reach. So how could Solomon keep them from Steel without scaring them off?

 _"Watch them, Solomon. Nothing more."_

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

"Prepare your men ready to move," Solomon said , leaning forward and tenting his fingers before him. "We'll see how this plays out."

OOO

Solomon took back the one compliment he had given to Steel throughout all this—that the general was smart enough to at least hide his robot. Knowing Steel, the general probably wouldn't object to a whole museum open to the world for his precious robot with tours and all. But thankfully, instead he had chosen to keep its location a secret.

So why had Solomon lost that little bit of respect he had for the general? Because Lance and Ilana had managed to find out where Steel was hiding his robot from a mere outdated computer at a local store called 'Mail & Copy' on the everyday search engine 'Ker-Plunk.' By simply typing in 'General Steel/Army,' they had browsed through dozens of military bases before they noticed that one had its own _power plant._ Due to any fool being able to wonder why a military base would need its own source of energy, especially of that size, they obviously had concluded that was where the robot was kept. G3 agents had been tracking their progress on the computer the whole time and seen them print the map of said military base out.

When _Solomon_ had wanted to know where the robot was kept, his agents had tracked it through satellite surveillance and hacked into top-security US files, all while remaining completely undetected, to find the location. Perhaps G3 should review their methods.

Over the next few days while Lance and Ilana travelled, clearly in the direction of the base, Solomon wallowed in those feelings of frustration and exasperation that he couldn't step in. But as the two aliens got closer, Solomon set these emotions aside. What did the aliens hope to accomplish by heading to that base? What could they want with Steel's robot? They couldn't hope to take it for themselves—it required hundreds of soldiers to work it. Nor could the two of them destroy it, if they wanted. And Solomon didn't believe they would do that either. That was the one reason he let them continue this course; he trusted them. Whatever reason they had, they had deemed it important enough to risk getting close. And he knew they would avoid harming anyone.

The night came when Lance and Ilana finally reached the base. G3 was holding back—it would be a disaster if Steel caught them anywhere near his prized robot—but cloaked a short distance away, the _Motherbird_ and several brand-new G3 fighters lying in wait. They had hacked into the base's security feed, and watched the events played out.

It didn't go well. Though Lance and Ilana easily slipped into the base and took on soldier disguises, they unfortunately did not notice all of the cameras. As they took down three guards, they were quickly spotted, and security set off the base's silent alarm. Steel was alerted, and the soldiers of the base were quietly assembled, quickly blocking off the exits and surrounding the unknowing aliens.

Solomon was very tense as he watched this all happen, but he still did not send his men to engage. He would only risk G3's cover if Lance and Ilana were truly threatened or captured. Now, if they turned on their armors, they could still escape. There was no point in G3 involving if they could get away themselves.

Solomon watched as Steel sprung his trap on the two just as they were removing one of the robot's huge charger cables. When faced with Steel's threats, they took on their armored forms. Ilana quickly made a shield as Steel's soldiers began to fire. Lance lifted his hands and took aim—for a moment Solomon panicked, worried the two were about to start a slaughter, but Lance only fired at the lights in the room. He targeted each of the spotlights and took them out, making it more difficult for the soldiers to aim at them, but he did not turn his guns on the soldiers themselves.

Ilana fired her forehead laser at one of the landing, caving it in and causing numerous soldiers to stumble and drop their guns as they scrambled for support. Still, she left the soldiers unharmed.

Solomon was relieved the two weren't hurting anyone, but at the same time even more worried. How could they escape if they were showing mercy to their opponents? This was a dire situation and their chances of escape were already slim. Yet they risked their own safety to spare their enemies?

Solomon's thoughts came to a halt as alarms in the base went off and the robot began to move. Lance and Ilana turned to look up at the giant as it came to life. Steel was activating his robot? For two little aliens!? Even for the general, this was too much.

"Get ready to move," Solomon hissed, eyes pinned to the screen. Even if Lance and Ilana stood no chance of defeating the robot, they were still far faster and had a chance to escape. And that's exactly what they began to do. Both of them took off and headed straight for the roof, blowing open a hole and flying away as fast as they could.

The robot stomped after them. They were so small compared to it, they looked like little sparrows. But they appeared to be outrunning it—until Steel fired the robot's missiles after them. The careless barrage of dozens of missiles filled the night sky with explosions and knocked Lance and Ilana out of the air. They crashed to the ground and the bigger robot quickly pinned them down with relentless bullets.

Ilana ran to cover Lance and activated her shield over both of them. But it was only her little gold form against the bulky huge robot.

"Move out!" Solomon shouted. "Head for the base! _Now!"_

But the _Motherbird_ had just taken off before Solomon watched on-screen as Steel's robot drew its cannon and fired its nuclear laser at them. They were engulfed in the blinding flash of light.

Solomon felt like the air had been sucked out of them, that the ground was suddenly gone and he had nowhere to stand. Were they—?

There—he saw them right as the light and smoke cleared. Both of them, now out of their armors, two helpless children on the ground with that deathly cannon pointed right at them. It began to warm up…

" _Attack,"_ Solomon ordered coldly. He felt overwhelmed by how he had almost just lost them, thanks to Steel's stupidity and recklessness. He had to get them out of there.

His fighters responded immediately as they dived down at the robot, firing their lasers and storming it with smoke. Even if their damage was minimal, they blinded and distracted the machine, causing enough chaos that it was distracted from Lance and Ilana, turning its cannon away from them.

"Land us before the aliens _now,"_ Solomon demanded. No doubt the _Motherbird_ would be the most useful weapon against Steel's robot right now, but Solomon didn't think about that. His first task was getting Lance and Ilana safe and out of here.

Without any more orders, he left the bridge and ran towards the ship's boarding. He opened the exit before the ship had even landed and leapt out the far distance onto the ground. Lance and Ilana didn't even notice him, too distracted by the G3 jets attacking Steel's robot. Ilana was lying on the ground while Lance knelt beside her. Their armors had been damaged and shut down, but how had that affected their own bodies?

"Can you get to your feet?" Solomon asked, drawing their attention to him. If not, he would help them to the ship himself.

Lance quickly scooped up Ilana, and Solomon saw her wince briefly as she wrapped her arms around him. She eyes were wide with fear, while Lance held grim guilt.

"Thank you," Ilana whispered.

Now was not the time for that—they were still in danger, and if that robot fired its cannon right now, they'd all be dead.

"Let's get you on the move," Solomon insisted as the _Motherbird_ landed behind him. He turned away and ran back to the ship, Lance close behind him. Together they raced up the plank, but Solomon stopped just before the entrance to let Lance pass him. He wasn't getting back on that ship until the two of them were on with him. But once Lance crossed over, Solomon followed immediately.

He lifted his wrist and spoke into his com device. "Let's go!" He felt the ship lurch as it took off only moments after it had landed and blast off away from the base.

Solomon let loose a small breath of relief. Attacking Steel had been dangerously risky, and there was no doubt Steel would take his revenge one way or another. He glanced over his soldier's quick report on his communicator and was relieved to see that no jets had been shot down, no agents had been killed.

They were safe now. With each second, they put more distance between themselves and Steel. That knowledge in mind, Solomon turned his full attention to Lance and Ilana.

Lance was setting Ilana gently down on one of immediate benches. She held a hand to her head and her whole body was limp with exhaustion. She slouched down on the seat, obviously being unable to support her own weight. "I'm okay, really," she said to Lance, brushing off his obvious concern.

Solomon's trained eyes looked her over for injuries and immediately determined that she was _not_ 'okay.' Her oversized stolen military clothes were blacked in some places from burns, but due to its covering Solomon couldn't see how much of the heat _she_ had taken. He noticed her hands were reddened, but it was too soon to see if blisters were forming, which were the signs of second-degree burns or worse.

It was interesting how it seemed that when their armors took a hit and were damaged, they would heat up. If they got hot enough, they burned the wearer and eventually overheated and shut down.

"You should let our medics take a look at those burns," Solomon spoke to her, still trying to visually access where her burns were and how bad they were.

Lance turned his eyes away from Ilana to look at Solomon. The young alien's eyes did not hold any contempt, but genuine sadness and regret. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you," Ilana joined in, trying to look livelier than she was. "You saved us." She gave a small smile.

Solomon squashed the small feeling of discomfort at their gratitude, very different from his other interactions with them. "Well luckily we got there in time," he brushed off. Lance reached for his hand and Solomon shook it in agreement—a truce between them, for now.

But Solomon's anger caught up with him. G3 _hadn't_ gotten there in time, had they? Steel had fired his laser cannon at the two aliens, that should have _killed_ them. If it wasn't for the strength of their armor, Lance and Ilana would be dead. A few more seconds, and Steel would have fired again while they were defenseless.

Fear and fury of that image consumed Solomon. "What were you _thinking_ breaking into that base?!" They knew the risks of getting near Steel, they knew how he would attack them on sight. He had probably been _planning_ on using his robot the next time he saw their armors. For a brief moment, Solomon had thought they had _died,_ and he had been _terrified_ for them. How could they be so foolish?!

Lance's gaze dropped to the ground. "We figured we could use the power source of that robot to bring our friend back. But, now…" he closed his eyes in regret, "now we'll never get another shot."

Both of them drooped in defeat and Solomon was struck yet again of how they were _children._ Two children, alone in a hostile world, now without their father-like robot, lost and not knowing what to do next or how they were going to survive.

Solomon's anger melted away. It hadn't been greed or jealousy that had led them to Steel's base, but _desperation._ Of course they had known the risks and dangers, but they had gone anyway because they needed the chance to get their robot—their friend—back.

"You look exhausted," Solomon said finally. It was true; not only visible by the bags under their eyes, but the lines of stress on their faces, and the weight on their shoulders. "Why don't you get some rest and we'll talk more about this later." He saw Lance and Ilana exchange looks of doubt; they didn't trust G3. Solomon realized they would probably want to leave the moment they were far enough from Steel. As soon as they recovered enough that they could move by themselves. But he had to insist—even if they refused to stay, Solomon knew they needed rest and safety, at least for one night. "Please," he persisted. "You'll both be safe with us. I guarantee it."

The promise of safety was a hard one. Solomon couldn't completely guarantee that G3 could defend them from Steel, or future creatures, but he hoped they would take his word that G3 would not harm them this time. He understood their reluctance—they were vulnerable and the last thing they wanted to do was hand themselves over to people who had attacked them before. But G3 wouldn't this time—they wouldn't _ever again._ He had to make Lance and Ilana understand that, somehow.

Solomon was sure it was exhaustion that finally made them cave in. They both nodded, giving up for tonight.

Solomon's tension eased at this one small victory. "Good." He turned away from them and began to head to the bridge. They needed rest, and he needed to sort out his soldiers. Check any damages that might have happened during the attack, prepare HQ for their arrival, and figure out what to do next. Lance and Ilana had agreed to stay for tonight—once they had rested, he'd try to convince them to stay longer.

He entered the bridge and all of his agents turned to him. As he took his seat of command and got to work, he realized that, in saving Lance and Ilana, he had just officially become an enemy of Steel's. Which meant G3 had a new foe.


	11. Episode 20

Episode Twenty: A New Beginning

The _Motherbird_ flew through the night. Solomon ordered his jets to go ahead—they were faster and needed refueling. Even if the _Motherbird_ was attacked, it had more than enough speed and weapons to make an escape. But there were no attacks, and they reached G3 HQ by daylight. Solomon stayed in the bridge as his agents communicated to coordinate the docking.

"Permission granted," an agent on the HQ said over the radio. "Proceed to Dock Four." There was a small pause before he said, "Welcome home, Commander."

Solomon gazed outside the viewports at the massive headquarters for a moment. Its colossal size hid above the mountains of clouds, a secret city, a marvel of ingenuity thanks to his superior's design. Yes, he supposed this was the closest thing he'd ever had to a home. How ironic that he, a defender of earth, did not technically live _on_ it.

He turned away and left the bridge, heading to retrieve Lance and Ilana. He found them both slouched on the bench, Ilana looking worried and drained while Lance appeared to have dropped whatever gentleness he'd had last night. The young male alien's gaze was back to being hard, guarded, and mistrustful. Solomon knew then that he'd have his work cut out for him to make them trust him. But he was still determined to convince them to stay.

"We're here," he said. Both of them wordlessly stood and joined his side. He waited by the door for a moment, feeling the ship land with a gentle _thud_ before they disembarked and he led them through the dock. Opening a door at the end of it, he barely noticed all the agents standing at attention on the other side. "Follow me, please."

He had taken only a few steps when he realized both Lance and Ilana had frozen in alarm. Lance was suddenly in a defensive fighting stance while Ilana had scurried back behind him.

Right. Last time they had been here, they had been kidnapped, tortured, tricked, and hunted. They were probably on a hair-trigger, waiting for G3 to turn around and catch them again, especially when they were so vulnerable at the moment.

Solomon looked over his shoulder and tried to put them at ease. "You don't have to worry. _We_ aren't your enemy." He hoped they would accept that, at least. He should of thought of this before—many times his agents awaited him like this when he returned from a mission, a greeting as well as preparation for directions and orders. He'd grown accustomed to it and hadn't thought how it might appear as a surprise attack to Lance and Ilana. He noticed that not all of his agents stood in perfect attention like usual; some were a little displaced from their perfect lines in order to get a better look at Lance and Ilana. No doubt they were curious to see what would happen now that the aliens were back here, but not prisoners this time.

Lance and Ilana skeptically looked over the agents, who did not move in the slightest. Seeing that they weren't going to attack, the young aliens exchanged unsure looks. Shied by all the attention suddenly on them, they lowered their heads and followed behind Solomon.

Solomon turned away and continued down the hall, leaving his agents behind. He tried not to look at Lance and Ilana, fearing pressuring them more. "Steel, on the other hand, is," he said next, picking up where he'd left off. They passed a platform—one that Solomon had led them through before, though disguised as Kane. Down one of the ladders was where the two had decided to leave him. "Especially after that raid you attempted last night."

"We had no choice," Lance objected. Both he and Ilana straightened up once they were away from the watchful gazes of the agents—openly, at least. Solomon knew several unseen eyes were on them even now. "Octus is vital to our protection on this planet."

"There's no way for us to form Titan without him," Ilana spoke up.

 _If you had come to G3 in the first place, we might have fixed Octus long ago, and this whole mess could have been avoided. You wouldn't have_ needed _to break into that base._

But it wasn't their fault. No, it was Solomon's. If he hadn't destroyed their trust by disobeying his superior and capturing them, they might have been willing to come. If he hadn't called them and made them come help him on the space station, the creature wouldn't have killed their robot. Solomon didn't blame them for holding a grudge.

"I know," he said softly. "That's why you can stay with us, if you like." He tried his best not to press them, though he desperately wanted to demand that they stay. "We'll do our best to protect you from Steel, and…" the creatures of the past flashed before his eyes, and he tried not to imagine how much destruction there would be if one of them came to G3 HQ. "…Help you with whatever may come in the future."

Solomon saw Lance's eyes narrow, already planning a refusal. He decided to lay everything flat-out. "Look," he said bluntly, "I know we started out on the wrong foot," and he knew quite well how much of an understatement that was, but it was hard for him to admit aloud, _to_ the aliens, the extent of the mistake he'd made. He was paying for it now. It would be a hard, long road to forgiveness, maybe he would never earn it, but he had to try. "But believe me; we would like it if you stayed here with us."

It would certainly ease a lot of tension in G3 to have the aliens _with_ them. Nobody liked the idea of letting them loose on earth, confused if they were allies or enemies, wondering what they were up to. It would be far easier to monitor them here, and to work with them, as G3 was meant to.

Lance and Ilana exchanged looks yet again, searching for each other's approval. Solomon's hands were in tight fists, the only sign of his nervousness and stress. Ilana obviously was more open to it, but if Lance said no, she would stay by him. Solomon had learned that when he'd been with them as Kane; these two stayed together.

Lance finally caved in, and he was the one who answered. "All right; we'll stay."

Solomon felt a genuine smile come on him, and it seemed to reassure Lance and Ilana as they smiled back.

Feeling much better about it now, Solomon opened the door behind him to the chambers G3 had prepared for them. He had commissioned these ages ago, not sure if they would ever be used, but he was glad for them now.

The three of them stepped in and Lance and Ilana looked over the bare room in confusion. "It's very, um…" Lance began skeptically.

"Cozy?" Ilana offered, seemingly unable to be impolite or ungrateful.

Solomon didn't comment on their forced manners but quickly explained the mechanics of the chambers. "This room is fully equipped to accommodate your every need." He waved a hand and the motion sensors followed his directions. Furniture flickered in and out of the walls as he showed the room's capabilities. "There's a television, food, bathroom, a ping-pong table for your recreational activities, sleeping quarters," the room became bare again as it cleared itself, "and there's a soda fountain down the hall."

Lance and Ilana both stared at him with wide eyes. Solomon realized this was probably overwhelming, and a complete on-eighty on G3's past treatment of them. He hoped to erase the memories of before and start fresh. The would get proper treatment this time, certainly not a _cell._

"You should get some rest," he suggested.

For the third time, Lance and Ilana exchanged looks. The two of them seemed to be depending on each other even more in this strange situation. Solomon made a mental note to not even try to separate them right now, not that he had planned to. They only had each other, and for them to lose that would be catastrophic for both of them.

"Uh, thank you," Ilana said awkwardly. She managed a smile. "We will."

But before that, however, Solomon wanted to try something else. He knew he was already pushing his luck by having them here, but if he at least suggested the idea now, perhaps they would ease up to it in time. "Why don't you let our scientists take a look at your friend? See if they can do something." He gestured to the old sack Lance carried.

Lance immediately tensed up, his hand tightening on the strap. His gaze lowered as he stared at nothing. "I'm not sure about that."

Solomon kept his patience. He knew Lance and Ilana didn't trust G3, but it was foolish to refuse to let the G3 scientists try. Otherwise, the remains of the robot would just be sitting around uselessly when it could be fixed. Yet at the same time, Lance and Ilana's confidence of G3 only extended a short distance. The robot was their friend— _family_ , as Lance had said _—_ and Solomon could understand their reluctance to hand him over to just anyone. For all they knew these scientists might do more harm than good, and they probably didn't like the idea of the remains of their robot being carelessly prodded at.

Solomon would not let that happen; his scientists would treat it with the utmost care. No doubt they would treat the alien technology with almost reverence. They were always fascinated when G3 retrieval teams brought in technological remains of an alien monster Titan had defeated. To get their hands on a key component of the mechanical marvel, Titan itself…well, they might just cry.

Ilana stepped up to Lance, looking worried but kept her tone soothing. "It's okay, Lance. Let them try. We've done all we can."

Lance dropped his shoulders in defeat and the straps fell from them. He clung to the backpack for a moment longer, giving it up obviously difficult for him. Solomon stayed completely still, letting the young alien take his time, doing his best not to rush him. Ilana stayed by his side, holding her hands together in sympathy. Finally, keeping his head down, Lance held out his robot, his family.

Solomon took the bag gently and held it both at the bottom and by the straps. He didn't want to give them false hope, but he tried to offer them some encouragement. "We do have some pretty advanced science here."

He turned away and left, leaving the two to their loss.

Walking down the corridors, his hands felt like electricity was running through them—he was holding the alien robot. He had done so before, right when it had been drained of energy, but he had had no time to focus on it in the panic. It seemed unbelievable that he was holding something that was so unimaginably more advanced than anything on earth, in an old, tattered, _backpack._ People of earth had dreamed of artificial intelligence, and Solomon was holding it right now—if inactive.

Rather than turn to head for the labs, however, he took a separate route. He was careful to keep his grip on the robot secure as he climbed down the ladder to his superior. He knew his superior would absolutely refuse to let Lance and Ilana know of his existence—the man didn't even trust his own G3 agents with that information—but since Lance and Ilana had allowed G3 to work on the robot, unsupervised, Solomon's superior could easily work on it anonymously. It was the perfect opportunity. This was the best chance there was of fixing the robot, of bringing back Titan, of protecting the earth. He tried not to get his hopes too high, tried to be practical, but anticipation thrummed in his veins.

Solomon entered his superior's quarters and was taken aback however when he saw the man looking at a screen. Quite clearly, Solomon could see it was the video feed from Lance and Ilana's room.

Solomon's mind stuttered with confusion. "I ordered those cameras turned off," he questioned. In hopes of building trust between Lance and Ilana, he'd ordered his agents to lock down those cameras. He didn't want to invade their privacy, and he knew they wouldn't do anything wrong. They didn't need to be supervised like prisoners.

"I countermanded the orders." Solomon's superior's raspy voice was casual as it could be, and didn't even seem to be paying full attention to him. He watched as Ilana placed her hand on Lance's shoulder in comfort.

Solomon was still confused but gave his superior his reasons for his orders. "I thought it would be best if we allowed our _guests_ to keep their privacy." Surely his superior had to understand that the Lunises weren't prisoners this time.

 _"I_ didn't invite them," his superior said simply, his attention still on the screen.

Solomon was silent for a moment, unsure how to convince his superior to be polite and leave Lance and Ilana alone. "After our…handling, of the Lunises last time they were here, I am trying to treat them best I can. They would be _uneased_ if they realized they were being watched. I've ordered no one to spy on them."

His superior flicked the screen away, turning his full attention to Solomon, but it was still there, still active. "You can stop the agents from watching them. But I will be either way." His superior drew in a hard breath, and his voice turned darker and more serious. "You should not have brought them here, Solomon."

Solomon was taken by surprise. He'd been working tirelessly to _get_ them to come here, and he did not regret giving them shelter one bit. "They needed us."

"Yes, you were right to rescue them from Steel," his superior consented, "but you should not have brought them _here._ It is too dangerous." There was a terrible cough from the man as he struggled to breath.

"Isn't it G3's purpose to handle aliens?" Solomon argued. "They needed us to protect them."

"Their best protection has always been to hide, to blend in with the populace. It has kept them out of Steel's reach, and away from the alien creatures. If you had let them go back to the way they were before, anonymous everyday humans on earth, they would be safe from Steel, but now…now he will come for them _here."_

"He'll complain to his superiors, but he can't come here," Solomon said softly. Steel would argue to whoever he could that G3 was a threat after the events of last night. "He would have hunted them relentlessly after seeing them near his precious robot."

"He wouldn't have found them. And it will be worse for us when he _does_ find the aliens in our care. We might have been able to talk our way out of it before, but not now."

"I had to do _something_ to save them." Solomon felt this argument circle back.

"You did save them. But then you should have left them. They didn't need our protection, they had anonymity."

"It's not just our protection they need," Solomon shook his head and brought his mind back to the reason he had come here in the first place. "They need our help." He opened the sack and held out the robot's dead core to his superior. " _You_ have to fix this."

There was a long, long, pause, punctuated only by his superior's labored breathing. The energy in the air seemed to heighten with intensity as his superior stared at the robot's core.

"There is nothing I can do."

Solomon stared at him. "You are the greatest mind on earth. Without you, there would _be_ no G3. You have to _try."_

"No."

Solomon resisted the urge to throw Octus's core at his superior. "The Lunises need their robot. Earth needs Titan. You are our best hope to fix this." Solomon's grip tightened on the backpack's fabric. "You have to help in _some_ way."

"No. And that is final, Solomon."

"But—"

"I _said,"_ his superior's tone turned threatening. "That is _final."_

Solomon stood there silently fuming for a few moments, before he whirled around and stormed away. He leapt up the ladder and stalked through the G3 halls until he reached the labs. He dropped off the robot's core to the very frightened-looking scientists before he headed to the control room.

OOO

"Report," Solomon ordered harshly.

"Sir," a scientist's voice came in soft, "I regret to inform you that…we are completely lost as to how to fix this robot. None of its makeup is like anything we've seen before."

Solomon was silent, his hand still on his communicator. He couldn't say that he was surprised. But he was angry. He still believed that there was a chance his superior could fix the alien's robot, yet he wouldn't even _try._

"Very well," Solomon said finally. "Continue to work on it. Make sure you don't miss _anything."_

"Yes, sir," was the regretful reply.

OOO

 _Ping._ Not long after that, Solomon's communicator alerted him to a high-priority message from his superior. For a few seconds he debated ignoring it, but the idea of the slim possibility that his superior had decided to help after all won out. He checked it.

 _"They're awake."_

That was it. Of course, his superior was still watching them despite Solomon's objections. But he still refused to help them. Solomon pursed his lips in frustration, which grew even more when he found himself _grateful_ for this alert. He wanted to talk to Lance and Ilana as soon as possible and tell them the hard truth about their robot. But at the same time, he knew they were exhausted and hadn't wanted to interrupt their well-needed rest. Yet by his orders to his agents not to monitor them, he had no way of telling when they were awake. His plan had been just to wait a few more hours. But thanks to this report, he knew it was safe to go now.

Holding back a sigh, Solomon left the control room and headed for Lance and Ilana's quarters. They hadn't slept for long; just a handful of hours. He hoped it wasn't because they didn't feel safe enough in G3 to rest.

When he opened the door, the lights of the room were off and the beds were out, but the two aliens were seated before the window, staring out onto the mountainous clouds. Solomon never grew tired of that sight; up here, the sun and stars and the rest of the universe were always visible. And there were so many different textures and ever-so-slight shades of the blindingly bright clouds, as ever-changing as the sea.

"Lance," Solomon said, drawing their attention, "Ilana." They both turned their heads to him. "I'm sorry," and he truly was. "We tried everything we could, but…" he hesitated, aware of how this would destroy them. G3 was the most advanced organization on earth; if they couldn't fix the robot, no one could. Both Lance and Ilana stood up, waiting for him to continue. Solomon lowered his head and forced the words out. "His technology is beyond our capability."

"No," whispered Ilana, collapsing back into the chair. Her voice was a trembling whisper. Tears welled up in her bright eyes and she put her face in her hands. Beside her, Lance's fists tightened in anguished rage. "We've lost him…"

The tears poured down Ilana's face, and she didn't even flinch or look up as Lance roared in anger, swung around, and punched the glass of the window. Whether she expected his outburst or was too distraught to even notice it, Solomon didn't know. The glass was far too thick and strong for Lance to do any damage, and he stood there vibrating with rage before it collapsed on itself, and he thudded his head against the window.

"What do we do now?" Ilana whispered in loss.

Solomon remained still, allowing them to mourn. He let their emotions run their course. He couldn't help the sympathy inside him; these two were too young, too innocent to face such a loss. Solomon didn't want to feed into their rage or anguish by overstepping his boundaries to try and comfort them, but in truth his own mind faced the same turmoil. Why wouldn't his superior even try to work on the robot? Why was he allowing these two children to suffer, and earth along with them?

"I'm truly sorry," Solomon said, keeping a tight restraint on his own feelings. On impulse, he turned his gaze up to the camera in the room. Only his superior would be watching. Neither Lance nor Ilana would notice, too overwhelmed to pay attention to what he did. "I was _sure_ there was something we could do to help."

He tried to convey his anger with the man, but the lifeless camera revealed nothing. Surely after seeing these two alien children in their loss, their sorrow, their _pain,_ he would do something?

Solomon shook his head and turned away from the camera. His superior would do as he pleased, and Solomon knew he couldn't change the man's mind no matter how hard he tried. He returned his gaze to Lance and Ilana and his insides twisted with guilt to see them like this. It was his fault they had been on the space station. It was his fault they had lost their family.

"We need to talk," Solomon said softly, "But I understand you need time. I will come back in one hour." With that, he turned away and left them.

OOO

Solomon watched the minutes tick by and arrived punctually one hour later. When he entered, Lance and Ilana were waiting for him, both dressed now and almost all signs of their sorrow gone. They had probably been facing the loss of their robot all of these past weeks—Solomon's news had simply been the final closure. They were strong children, but children nonetheless. Determination was on both of their faces.

Solomon went right into it, knowing that despite their brave faces, a reminder of their loss could tear them apart again. "We need to discuss your stay here," he began formally. Lance's eyes narrowed and Solomon hurried on. "You are welcome to stay on our base indefinitely. G3 will care for you and help however we can. But we need to consider Steel, and any future creatures that may come."

"We can't go against another one of those creatures again," Ilana said, eyes widening in fear as memories flashed through her eyes.

"I know," Solomon said, his tone soft. They had barely escaped the last one with their lives. "I don't expect you to. But they seem to be attracted to you…am I wrong?"

He waited, tense, as Ilana bit her lip slightly and Lance's face hardened with suspicion. Their hesitation answered Solomon's question in wordless confirmation. He had already been almost completely sure, but to see it on their faces made it certain.

He waited, and finally Ilana reluctantly admitted, "Yes. Many of them are."

Some deep part of Solomon relaxed. They weren't being completely secretive. Until now, the two had never admitted to Solomon where they were from or even openly said that they were aliens. Compared to that, this was a tremendous step forward.

He took the briefest of moments to let amazement come over him. Here, standing right before him, were two _alien life forms._ And they were _intelligent_ and _nonthreatening._ How many people dreamed of that? What secrets must Lance and Ilana know? G3 and humanity itself had peered into space, walked off the earth, and sent probes into the sky, scouring for anything else. And now, here were two.

Solomon's tension slowly eased.

"How do they find you?" Solomon asked, still ever-so-careful not to push too hard or too quick. He was ready to back off if they tried to shut him out again. The very last thing he wanted was for them to decide to leave.

Lance looked like he would rather eat nails than answer Solomon's questions. Solomon bleakly remembered how Lance had endured brutal torture to hide this information. Ilana looked unsurely at her companion and put a hand on his shoulder. She stayed silent this time, no doubt unwilling to reveal anything Lance wished to keep secret.

Finally Lance sighed and responded. "It depends." He waved vaguely. "Some of them are capable of detecting us whenever we activate our armor. Some merely see us and know to pursue us."

"Know? Why would they know?" Solomon repeated before he could think better of it.

Abruptly, the alarm started going off. Both Lance and Ilana turned to face the blinking red light in the corner of their room. Solomon stared for a moment as well, snapping out of his questioning thoughts. He yearned to ask them more but there must be some kind of emergency—he hoped they could get back to this later.

He lifted his wrist as he felt the alert from his communicator. "Report!" he demanded.

"Multiple bogies inbound, sir," was the immediate response.

"What?" Solomon said, surprised. Flight crafts were heading for G3?

"We're under attack from a large squadron of fighters," the agent elaborated.

Then it hit him. "Steel," Solomon hissed. His superior had been right. Solomon hadn't expected for the general to attack _this_ way. He had thought Steel would tattle and whine to the higher-ups of the US, not come here with his army and _attack._ "Is the robot with him?" Solomon asked.

"Yes, sir," the agent replied, his voice softening before he cleared his throat and continued. "And closing fast."

"Battle stations," Solomon ordered, before switching it off. G3 would not go down without a fight. Solomon turned his attention to Lance and Ilana. He remembered what his superior had said about putting them in danger—if Solomon hadn't insisted they stay, they would be far away and safe right now. He had wanted to protect them, but he hadn't known Steel would go this far. His plan had backfired, badly.

"I knew Steel was stupid," Solomon hissed, "but this is a whole new level." Either way, he would protect them just as he had said. He turned away, about to head to the control room, before Lance called out to him.

"Let us help!" the young alien demanded.

Solomon paused, looking back over his shoulder at them. Once again, the fact that they were _children_ swept over him. They'd shouldn't be anywhere near such a battle. Hadn't they almost died at the hands of Steel's robot only last night? Yet now they were ready to go against it yet again. Solomon didn't want to send them into battle when he'd promised to protect them, he didn't want to face what might happen to them.

Ilana stepped forward. "You'll need all the firepower you can get to defeat his robot," she reasoned.

Both of them were hard and resolute on this. And Solomon remembered how they had both refused to stand aside when others needed their help; they had done so with Titan, and even with him on the space station. They knew the risks, but they both fought anyway. And they had to power to do so. If anything could help G3 take on Steel, it would be them.

Solomon found a second smile that day briefly cross his lips. Now, of course, was no time for joy, but he couldn't stop how much it meant to him that they were willing to fight alongside G3. It was a full change from their complete mistrust previously.

He dropped the smile and focused back on the task ahead. "Let's go." And the three of them ran from the room.

OOO

Solomon entered the control room with Lance and Ilana at his sides. The agents were already hard at work, typing away on computers and giving and receiving directions. "Patch me through to Steel," Solomon demanded the moment he walked in. He took his place at the center of the room while Lance and Ilana quickly backed up, out of the way, not wanting to be seen when the transmission to Steel came through.

The huge screen came on with Steel's face, blocking the view of the clouds the control room normally gave. The general was leaning forward, peering accusingly through the screen.

"Steel," Solomon hissed darkly.

"Well look who it is," was Steel's casual, careless response.

"Have you lost your mind!?" Solomon demanded. Perhaps the general had gone mad with arrogance and the power of his robot. He believed himself unstoppable. Solomon would like more than anything to prove him wrong, but he had his doubts G3 could take his robot down. While his agents were far better skilled in piloting and armed with more advanced weapons on their jets, the robot was a whole other matter. It had too many guns, it was too big, and that alien metal made it far more difficult to penetrate.

Steel ignored the valid question on his sanity completely. "I always knew you were a traitor, Solomon…aiding and abetting those aliens," he spat. "You and your Galactic Guardian Group are finished!"

"You don't understand what you're doing," Solomon said, trying to reason with him.

"I understand, alright!" Steel barked. "I understand that those Titan people broke into _my_ base to steal the Hammer, and you helped them escape! End of story!"

Solomon put his hands on his hips in authority. "I think you forget, general, that our jurisdiction gives us control over alien involvement. Including the materials you used to build your robot." Solomon could probably get Steel in a lot of trouble if he revealed Steel's violation of contract. The only thing holding him back from doing so was endangering G3's secrecy. And even if he did do so right now, the information wouldn't be used fast enough to save them.

"Nawh, don't try and change the subject!" Steel scoffed. "I know you're harboring them! You've got to be! They're probably there right now, all of you, happy together! _Thick as thieves!"_ A mad look grew in the general's eyes.

Solomon neither confirmed nor denied. Steel had obviously latched on to that insane idea, and whether it was true or not, the general was going to attack. "Don't do this, General!" Solomon tried to scare him off, "I'm warning you!"

"And I'm warning _you!"_ barked Steel, pound his fist down on his seat.

"We're the ones you want, General!" Lance shouted. Solomon froze and steeled his face from any emotion as Steel lurched forward, as if he could stick his head through the screen and peek around its corner.

"Huh? Whazzat? What? That's them, isn't it?" Solomon did not respond, and resisted the strong temptation to turn to Lance. What did he think he was _doing,_ revealing himself like this? The nearby agents swung their heads to stare at him. What if Steel recognized his voice? Highly unlikely, but still possible. "Show yourselves, you cowards!"

"Your fight is with us, not G3!" Lance glared at the screen. "Leave them out of this!"

That was not happening. The last thing Solomon was going to do was let Lance and Ilana fight Steel on their own. He might as well just hand them over to the crazed general, and after Steel's rotten treatment of anything alien, there was no way Solomon was going to stand by and let that happen. He appreciated that Lance was offering G3 an out, but they weren't going to take it.

"That's where you're wrong, _alien!"_ Steel spat the word like an insult. He got up from his chair and began yelling orders to his men."All units! Begin attack formation Omega! Drop the Hammer! _Drop the Hammer!"_

The screen went blank and Solomon immediately swung his head to face Lance and Ilana. "Get to the launch bay! We'll need you out there." Both of them nodded before running off, joining the flow of agents already headed in that direction.

Solomon then turned his attention to the agents stationed in the control room. "All units; launch assault!"

G3 HQ was meant to fend off an invasion force if necessary and had more than enough weapons to bring to a fight. As Steel's fighters shot their missiles at the HQ and began to attack its belly, agents in laser-firing red jet planes launched out to attack. Dogfights broke out, and soon the pearl-white clouds and pure blue sky was filled with the dark smoke of explosions. Solomon watched the number of fighters began to drop, the signals go dead. He had Lance and Ilana on his monitors too; thankfully they had connected themselves to G3 communicators.

He absorbed reports of the action, watched dozens of feeds at a time, and shouted orders of where to defend, who needed support the most, what to look out for. Lance and Ilana tore through enemy jets, their invincible armor slicing through metal like butter. But they were careful to avoid the cockpit where the soldiers were, and didn't use any attacks that caused immediate explosions. Most of their targets were able to eject and escape with their lives. Solomon couldn't say he completely agreed with such limits of their attacks, yet at the same time he respected their restraint, even against such odds. He wasn't going to force them to kill. If he hadn't been so distracted by this battle, he would have been amazed of their value on the lives of their enemies, of the lives of a race that wasn't even theirs.

Steel's slow robot was catching up with the fighters and approaching the HQ. Solomon had kept careful track of it and now it was in range. He ordered his fighters to strike against it and they dive-bombed it with missiles. Yet their attacks appeared to do no damage as the smoke quickly blew away with the intense wind. The robot lifted its iron fist and opened its guns, quickly taking the attacking fighters out as they were caught in the raining bullets.

As the robot drew ceaselessly closer, it opened ports on its back and fired waves of missiles. G3 fighters spiraled in the air to avoid them, but soon the sky was filled with the rockets, and it was only the skilled and the lucky who survived. Steel's careless firing even hit some of his own fighters, and as Ilana flew to use her shields against the missiles, she _saved_ some. Her energy shields took on at least ten of the missiles and she tried to prevent the attack. But Steel's destruction wiped out most of the jets, even his own.

Lance drew his sword and began to slice at the missiles, batting side to side as he advanced on the robot. Ilana soon followed as they both tried their own attacks against the much bigger foe. But Lance's sword and Ilana's lasers only scratched its surface.

 _"There's no effect_ ," Ilana's voice came over Solomon's com. _"That Mutradi armor is too thick."_ Was that what the metal was called? Solomon didn't have time to ask.

Flying through the no-man's-land in the sky like it meant nothing, Steel's robot began to land on G3 HQ. The whole ship shook with the weight and Solomon stumbled as he felt it. He regained his footing and ordered the nearest agent. "Deck guns: _fire!"_

All across the surface of the HQ, laser-guns surfaced and took automatic aim at Steel's robot. There were hundreds of these and they all began their assault. The huge robot stomped on a few, before Steel seemed to realize there were too many to attack that way. The robot's fists opened up again and fired back at the deck guns. The deck guns exploded in excess energy and tore up the HQ's surface.

 _"Is there no stopping this thing?"_ Ilana cried.

 _"Go for its guns! They're not armored!"_ Lance tried.

Solomon turned his attention to them briefly, trying to see how that idea worked. Lance landed beside a gun on the robot's stomach and managed to slice it off, but then dozens more guns revealed themselves. At such close range, they all fired and blew Lance back onto the HQ's surface. Lance crashed against it and Ilana cried out, immediately going to cover him. Her shield protected him against the bullets, but the robot narrowed down its attack on them.

While Ilana held it off, two planes flew out of Steel's robot and soldiers began to dive out of them, using parachutes to land on the HQ's surface, looking for a way to infiltrate it.

"Deploy the agents!" Solomon ordered.

A battle erupted on the surface of G3, right above Solomon's head, he knew. There was no cover on the surface, no protection for either side from the bullets. Bodies on both sides fell.

 _"Solomon!"_ Ilana called to him, horror evident in her voice. _"This slaughter must stop!"_

Solomon, sickened by the sight of his agents dying before him, lost control and snapped at her. "Tell _him_ that!" He didn't blame her or Lance, but Steel. Steel wanted to wipe them all out, destroy G3. The general reveled in this bloodshed while G3 was now fighting for survival. No attack seemed to be effective against Steel's robot, and if they couldn't beat it, they were all going to be killed.

"Sir!" barked an agent. "An unidentified object has just appeared in earth's atmosphere!"

Said object popped up on one of their screens. Solomon was completely distracted for a moment. "What?!"

This high up in the atmosphere, everyone could see the new alien…or _aliens._ Gunfire stopped above as those outside saw the form split apart in the sky and roll through the air, flaming as they fell down to earth. Screens appeared all around Solomon as new reports rolled in, cities showing breaking-news of the new monsters.

Lance's shocked voice came over the com. "Three _of them?!"_

"Patch me through to Steel! Now!" Solomon demanded his agents.

"We're joining you!" Ilana called. Solomon wasn't sure how, but moments later three screens appeared before him. On one side, Lance and Ilana's armor, but on the other, an infuriated-looking Steel.

"Steel," Solomon began, scrambling to form an argument in his mind to convince the mad general. G3, Steel's robot, and Lance and Ilana were the best forces against these creatures. With them in battle with each other, the people of earth had no protectors. Somehow, Solomon had to convince him to stop. "You have to stop attacking. It's pointless of us to be fighting like this, when there are creatures running loose below."

Ilana came to his support. "There are people down there who need _all_ of our help!"

Steel pointed an accusing finger at her. "It's your fault they're here!"

That may be one of Solomon's own theories as well, but it wasn't _entirely_ confirmed. Lance and Ilana had admitted that the creatures targeted them, but not that the creatures came to earth _specifically_ for _them._

There was no point in trying to convince Steel otherwise anyway, he wouldn't believe anything they told him. The general had to be redirected. "That isn't important right now," Solomon tried.

"Stopping those creatures _is,"_ Lance jumped in.

Steel lowered his finger and glowered for a moment, fists clenched at his sides. Finally, he caved. "What do you have in mind?"

Solomon didn't hesitate. "Each of us takes one on."

Neither Lance nor Ilana jumped in this time. They were both silent at that idea.

Steel scoffed in confidence. "Heck, the Hammer can take them all out!"

Solomon didn't comment on the general's cockiness but took leadership while he could. "We'll take the creature farthest away," G3 forces were certainly the fastest of the three groups here, and these people needed help as soon as possible. "You'll take the one that landed in San Francisco," he said to Steel. He then turned to Lance and Ilana. "You two will deal with the one in Sherman." He expected the two to nod or say _something,_ but yet again they were quiet. Something was up, but Solomon couldn't ask at the moment. He stared, trying to puzzle it out.

Steel turned away from the screen. "All units, stand down! Redeploy the Hammer!" But then he turned his attention back to Solomon. "Solomon," he growled, and Solomon drew his gaze from Lance and Ilana to face the general. "Don't think for one minute that this is finished."

Solomon remained still at the threat as Steel's screen went out. No, not for one _second_ did he think Steel would leave this be. The general would be back to finish the job…if Solomon let him.

But for now, he had a different foe to face. He turned to the agent at his side. "Recall the squadrons; we leave immediately." As his agents got to work on that, Solomon turned his attention back to Lance and Ilana. "What's wrong?" For it was quite obvious that something was bothering them. They had been backing him up against Steel, but now they were completely quiet.

"It's just—" Lance began as Ilana's armored form lowered its head. "—without Titan we can't defeat something like this. We tried before and it nearly got us killed."

Solomon had gotten so used to Lance and Ilana's bravery that he'd forgotten yet again how they were children. He had seen the footage of them fighting the last monster, and Ilana had been forced out of her armor. The creature had been moments away from crushing her. Taking on Steel's robot a second time with G3 as backup was different then going against another monster alone, especially considering that it would specifically target them.

Solomon hated to offer encouragement in a battle they stood no chance in, but he knew that if the two of them didn't fight now to defend earth, they wouldn't forgive themselves. If they could distract the creature to save one more life, they would. They were hesitating out of fear, but even they knew they had to fight.

"I know that losing your friend has been a big blow," Solomon said softly. "But you're both powerful. And highly skilled." He stared at them. "And these people need you." That was what would make them go. Someone needed help, and Lance and Ilana could give it. So they would, no matter the risks. Solomon knew that better than anyone.

Ilana's head turned up to look at Lance. Solomon wondered if they could somehow see each other's expressions beyond the indifferent masks of their armors.

Ilana turned back to look at him. "Thank you, Solomon," she said to him. "For everything."

Solomon didn't like how final that sounded, and he realized how deadly this all was. Both G3 and the two aliens would likely die in a hopeless attack against these monsters. In a way, this could be the end.

He swallowed hard and merely nodded. Both their screens turned off and he saw their armors through the window, diving down the earth together.

"Sir, we're ready," an agent softly said beside him. Solomon turned and joined his agents, heading for the _Motherbird._ They and the remainder of the jets would take out the creature…or die trying.

OOO

Solomon sat tense in the head of the _Motherbird_ as his ships entered Paris and flew straight at the creature. It was crushing down on buildings with curved claws. It had no eyes, but only a large mouth on its head with misshapen teeth.

"Fire Wave-Motion Cannon!" Solomon ordered. The bright green laser fired from the belly of the _Motherbird_ , causing the creature to stumble back. Its skin smoked but otherwise there was no effect. G3 fighters moved in and tried to attack, but the creature swung its arm in a wide arc, instantly destroying them. The arm came at the _Motherbird,_ but the ship's skilled pilot narrowly swerved around it. As they swooped around the arm, towards the head, the ship fired other weapons close-range. The monster tried to snap its jaws around them, but they swiftly gained altitude to get out of its reach.

Once high, the _Motherbird_ curved back around and dive-bombed the creature. Its black color camouflaged it in with the night sky. The monster didn't even see them coming as they struck it from above. Now swooping low, they stayed closer to the ground as the creature swung its arms at the sky, obviously expecting more attacks from that direction.

G3 jets swarmed the monster like a hoard of angry bees, firing missiles and lasers at it. The creature shook its head in rage before swinging another attack. G3 was trying its best to attack but it was a struggle merely to avoid crashing into the creature. The creature swiped its claws back and forth, destroying jets with each attack.

One strike came at them and Solomon was certain it would hit, and the _Motherbird_ would be destroyed, with everyone inside with it.

But just before it hit, a huge hand grabbed the monster's wrist, halting the strike. There was a flurry of movement, a swipe through the air, and then the creature roared in pain as its arm was sliced clean off.

Solomon leapt out of his chair at the sight before him. _"Titan!"_

His agents all looked up in shock and surprise, as they all stared at what they had thought was gone forever. Solomon almost couldn't believe his eyes, but he was certain of what he was seeing. The alien monster turned to face Titan in rage, but Titan didn't even bother to face it _._ The alien mech swung its sword around before plunging it back through the creature's chest. The monster made one last guttural cry at life before Titan twisted the sword and pulled it out, severing the creature in half. Its body collapsed back onto the ground, leaking purple blood onto the streets.

"Lower the ship to it," Solomon instructed as he ran from the bridge. In no time he was opening the _Motherbird's_ doors, wind grabbing at him, facing Titan once again.

It was truly them—fully formed and just as strong. Earth's defender had returned. A new beginning.

Titan lifted its head to look directly at Solomon, and he smiled, overjoyed to see it back. In this moment, he didn't even care how the robot had returned, but it was a huge relief that it had.

Titan gave him a nod, and then it blasted off into the night. Solomon watched it, leaning out of the _Motherbird_ probably more than what would be considered safe, until the giant robot was out of sight. Still staring into the starry night sky for a few stolen moments longer, Solomon withdrew and shut the door. But he didn't head back to the bridge. He backed up against the wall and breathed a sigh of tremendous relief. Titan was back. Octus had been fixed. Lance and Ilana had their robot back, there was a power on earth that could take on the creatures hopefully indefinitely, and even handle Steel's robot if the general got too out of hand. Steel had tried to kill them all, but if he came for G3 again, Solomon knew he could count on Titan to help next time. Thank goodness the robot was back.

 _Ping._ A high-priority message. Solomon looked down at his communicator, not opening the message at first as he considered it. Had his superior finally decided to fix the robot? Or had G3 scientists miraculously figured it out on their own? If it was them, they deserved a _raise._

 _"Return to base immediately,"_ was the message.

Solomon stared at it for a moment before deciding, yes, he wanted to go home. Home with no insane general beating at his door. He needed rest, he needed answers…and he needed to count his losses. He began to head back to the bridge.

OOO

On the way back, another message came; _"The moment you land, come see me."_ It further confirmed Solomon's belief that his superior was the one to fix Octus. Other than that, Solomon spent the trip trying to find out precisely what happened. He viewed all the new reports, that were clamoring with glee at the return of Titan. They barely seemed to notice that their precious 'Hammer' was gone.

Yes indeed, Steel's robot had been demolished by the alien creature it had faced. This one showed more immunity to Steel's laser cannon, and had torn through the robot's vulnerable joints. Much of San Francisco had been destroyed in the fight between them, as Steel had apparently decided to, quote, " _fire everything."_ But Titan had arrived and taken out the creature just before it could crush Steel himself (pity).

There was not as much documentation on the fight _before_ Titan had shown up in Sherman, much to Solomon's displeasure. He supposed he could simply ask Lance and Ilana later. The two of them had moved too quick for the cameras to track, and no one had caught what had happened that had led to the appearance of Titan. But Titan's return was captured in glorious detail. Its movements as fluid as Solomon remembered, its strikes just as quick, its attacks just as clever. It even fired a laser from its hand, and later, its foot, that Solomon hadn't seen before…a new trick?

As instructed, Solomon hurried to his superior's quarters immediately after the _Motherbird_ docked. He was eager to confirm that it was his superior who had fixed Octus, and how. He nimbly jumped down the ladder and headed straight for his superior, daring to get closer than he ever had before. The dark room did nothing to dampen his positivity.

"Sir," Solomon began immediately, "Am I correct in assuming you decided to work on the robot after all?"

"…You are, Solomon. I did." But his superior did not sound nearly as happy as he should be about it. He sounded almost…resigned.

Solomon tilted his head, the mood to smile draining from him at his superior's tone. "You fixed it. Titan is back now, earth is protected again. We survived Steel's attack, saved the aliens, and brought back their robot. And I believe that the Lunises will be far more trusting of us now."

"…And what do you plan to do with that trust, Solomon." The man's voice turned monotone. Blank.

Solomon blinked in confusion. "Ask if they will finally give us the answers we need. Perhaps they will trust us with what their mission is, why these monsters are—"

"We won't be asking them that."

Solomon was quiet for a little while. Finally, he said, "I don't understand."

"We must move," his superior said suddenly. "Move the HQ to a different location and recloak it. We must hide from Steel before he comes after us again."

It Solomon a moment to keep up with the change of subject. "Of course," he said slowly. "I will start that immediately. And we can send Lance and Ilana our coordinates once—"

" _No."_ His superior gave a fit of coughing before continuing."You will do no such thing."

"But then how will they find us?" Solomon asked.

"They won't."

Solomon tried to figure this out, but his only theory was completely ridiculous. Still, he tried. "You don't _want_ to interact with them again?"

"No."

Solomon stared. "But we have finally achieved a relationship with them! They could be our _allies—"_

"No. We have done enough, as have they. Move the headquarters, hide it, and stay away from the Lunises, just as before."

Solomon just stared at his superior, at a loss. "I don't understand," he repeated.

"Solomon," his superior breathed, "these aliens…they are hiding things from us. Things they won't tell us, no matter how we helped them. Until we figure it out on our own, we must be cautious and careful. So…we will _watch."_

Solomon pondered that for a moment. He didn't agree. But as he had learned the hard way from his previous interactions with the aliens, his superior tended to be correct in these seemingly far-fetched theories. As much as it pained him to give up answers when they seemed so close, he would do so. He was his superior's agent, the leader of the Galactic Guardian Group, and as his superior had instructed, they would wait. They would watch.

And in the proper moment, they would act.

 **Author's Notes: Thank you, you few readers who still remember Sym-Bionic Titan! I hope you enjoyed my story. Solomon has always been my favorite character, and it was such a blast to look deeper into his mysterious and indifferent appearances in the show. Whenever watching SBT, I always felt like so much was going on in the background, G3 hiding and watching. I wish we could have learned what, but alas…merchandise. I don't know what they mean by girl toys not being popular, have they not noticed My Little Pony and Miraculous Ladybug? And there are plenty of boy toys in SBT. Phft.**

 **Now, some of you may have heard the theory that Solomon's superior might just be Lance's father, Edward, from _Shaman of Fear_ , the greatest mind Galaluna ever knew and the creator of the Manus armor and Rift Gate. After all, he _did_ 'die' in a Rift Gate experiment. This would explain why G3's technology is similar to Galalunian, how the superior knew how to fix Octus, etc. I didn't want to go overboard with that in this fic in case it's not true, so I tried to imply it in subtle ways. Edward could not understand _why_ his son and the princess were hiding out on earth, or why giant monsters were raining from the sky. He wanted more information, which is why he instructed Solomon to 'watch,' why he avoided the Lunises, and how he knew things Solomon didn't. **

**The problem is with this theory is that I can't really think of any reason why Edward would stay secret when he saw Lance. Or exactly why he would refuse to fix Octus at first. So, again, I left that open.**

 **That all being said, please, leave a review. With so few SBT fans out there, I'm eager to hear more. I have my doubts the show will ever come back, but that doesn't mean the fandom should die or we can't still enjoy it. Thanks for reading!**


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